Chapter 265: Meeting Pang Bo

The Immortal Palace, a renowned place imbued with the essence of eternal life, is in fact the infamous "Yellow Spring Tomb" as recorded in the Book of Origin.

The Black Emperor was startled and exclaimed, "Kid, you can't be mistaken, can you?"

"I've seen the Fire Dragon Tomb and personally visited the Dragon's Bloodshed. I wouldn't be mistaken about the Yellow Spring Tomb, which is on the same level as those," Ye Fan stated. By now, his understanding of source techniques had reached an exceptionally high level.

The vast, empty hall was utterly silent, emanating an extreme tranquility where no signs of life could be detected.

"There doesn't seem to be any danger. If this were truly the Yellow Spring Tomb, we'd probably be in serious trouble by now," the large black dog mused, looking suspicious.

The Yellow Spring Tomb was undoubtedly an extremely perilous forbidden zone. For the ancient sages to have expended such immense effort carving a source mountain into a palace was truly a monumental undertaking.

Ye Fan and the Black Emperor returned to the first hall. Unwilling to act rashly, they decided to observe carefully.

"Dao patterns! I finally sense them!" the large black dog suddenly exclaimed. "There are extremely powerful Dao patterns here, drawing upon an inexplicable power for their own use, which gives this place its immortal properties."

"Where does that power originate?" Ye Fan asked.

The Black Emperor closed its eyes, and after a long silence, it suddenly opened them and declared, "Right in the center of this hall!"

Ye Fan advanced, controlling the cauldron, until they reached the center of the ancient hall. The ground was paved with source stones, engraved with various patterns of birds, fish, insects, and beasts.

Ye Fan stepped out of the cauldron, lifted a stone slab on the ground, and a dark, deep well appeared before him.

"As expected... the ancient sages truly had grand foresight, converting a forbidden zone for their own use!"

"Where does this broken well lead?"

"Naturally, it leads to the Yellow Spring, drawing divine power for the Immortal Palace's use."

Faintly, sounds of flowing water drifted up from below, accompanied by wisps of netherworld energy.

"What exactly is special about the Yellow Spring Tomb?" the large black dog asked.

"According to the book," Ye Fan replied, "it's the water of the Nine Nether Yellow Spring, sealed within a source vein, and incredible things are born within it."

Suddenly, a chilling aura, sharp as a knife, surged up from below, and specks of light began to emanate, dispelling the complete darkness.

Ye Fan quickly retreated into the cauldron and peered down into the deep well.

The large black dog also stretched its neck, its large eyes wide as it stared intently.

*Clang! Clang!*

The water produced a clanging, metallic sound, as if immensely heavy, reverberating as it flowed, and a hazy glow emanated from it.

"It really is the Yellow Spring!" the large black dog exclaimed.

Just below, a waterway was sealed within a crystal-clear source vein. A turbulent yellow river surged through it, like a roaring yellow dragon.

"Legend has it that when the Nine Nether Yellow Spring receded from the human world, some of it was left underground. Could this truly be real?" the large black dog asked, astonished.

Ye Fan's expression was solemn as he stared silently at the underground Yellow Spring. He didn't care about the water itself, as it was inanimate; what he truly cared about were the things that had been nurtured within it.

*Whoosh!*

Spiritual energy, like a dragon, surged up along the ancient well, making them feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

"Damn it, this is the aura of divine source!" the large black dog exclaimed in surprise. "Kid, quick, think of a way! There's divine source down there, hurry and get it!"

"Do you think I don't want to?" Ye Fan said in a deep voice. "But do we have the strength for that? If we were to break open the source vein, both of us would die here."

At this moment, a glimmer of light appeared in the surging Yellow Spring. Faintly, a long, strip-shaped source stone could be seen carried away by the currents.

"To me, it looks like a stone coffin," the large black dog said, surprised.

"That's divine source, and something is sealed inside!" Ye Fan said, his expression grave.

The long, strip-shaped source stone sank to the bottom of the Yellow Spring, difficult to see clearly. It was then swept away, surging towards the depths of the source vein, and the area below grew dark.

"Divine source! There's a divine source beneath this Immortal Palace!" the large black dog yelped, frantically jumping.

Of course, their communication wasn't actual speech; they were constantly transmitting messages via divine sense.

Ye Fan covered the well with the stone slab, resealing the opening, and muttered to himself, "The ancient sages truly were extraordinary individuals, converting a forbidden zone for their own use. The Yellow Spring Tomb has been sealed."

At the same time, he frowned, inferring that a single piece wouldn't be worth ten million catties of source. Otherwise, the remains of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body would surely have been refined instead of left behind.

"The Secret Realm of the Dao Palace is indeed an unbreachable chasm..."

Ye Fan and the large black dog proceeded through four more halls in succession. In the center of each hall was a well, leading directly to the underground source vein that sealed the Yellow Spring.

Complex Dao patterns were carved beneath each well, transforming the divine power from the forbidden zone into immortal power. This greatly intrigued the large black dog, but even after studying them for a long time, it couldn't comprehend them.

"This truly leaves one speechless," Ye Fan sighed. "Underground is the Yellow Spring, and above ground is the Immortal Palace..."

What was originally a highly ominous forbidden zone had been transformed by the ancient sages, using unfathomably profound Dao patterns, into a treasure land capable of extending one's lifespan.

Life and death were so close, separated by only a single well.

After entering six consecutive halls and finding six ancient wells, Ye Fan finally felt relieved. The Yellow Spring Tomb was thoroughly sealed, and even after such a long time, the Dao patterns had not lost their effectiveness.

Otherwise, if the seal of such a forbidden zone were to break even slightly, he and the large black dog would surely die; there would be no possibility of survival.

Inside the seventh hall, Ye Fan and the large black dog vaguely saw something within the Yellow Spring: it was indeed a stone coffin, connected to a piece of divine source.

"How can something like this exist?"

"A stone coffin in the Yellow Spring..." Ye Fan was also greatly surprised. What kind of primordial creature could this be?

He only knew that some divine sources sealed primordial creatures, but this was the first time he had seen one containing a stone coffin.

"I find this a bit unreliable; it's probably not a primordial creature!" the large black dog said, its eyes gleaming as if it had remembered something.

Upon entering the eighth ancient hall, Ye Fan felt a little disappointed because he didn't find any stone carvings related to cultivation.

"Did the ancient sages leave nothing behind?" he wondered, somewhat perplexed.

This Immortal Palace was clearly an important place, destined never to fall, and was where the Sacred Body had achieved nirvana. Yet, nothing seemed to have been left behind.

"Secret methods are left here, but you can't obtain them," the Black Emperor said. "Even I can only stare helplessly."

"What did you find?" Ye Fan asked.

"Naturally, Dao patterns," the large black dog replied. "Ancient mighty figures, when they comprehended the great Dao of heaven and earth, would engrave them in the form of Dao patterns, rarely recording them in text."

Ye Fan frowned. He couldn't meticulously study Dao patterns yet, and even the large black dog, with its profound attainments, was stumped. However, he wasn't disheartened because he had already obtained the secret techniques of the Great Dao from the remains.

Only the last hall remained. They were about to meet Pang Bo, and Ye Fan deeply feared that something might have happened to him.

Ye Fan and the Black Emperor, inside the cauldron, slowly flew towards the ninth ancient hall. As they did so, they noticed the spiritual energy becoming denser, and a faint light began to emanate.

They were on high alert, as a major battle might be about to erupt. Battles of divine sense were the most perilous, where a slight mishap could lead to eternal damnation.

When they pushed open the heavy stone door and entered the hall, their eyes were met with a burst of light, and the darkness was instantly swept away.

"This..."

It didn't look like a hall at all. This place was extremely vast, more expansive than the previous eight halls combined.

Here, the vegetation was lush. Colorful flowers bloomed everywhere, and various ancient trees stretched their branches, covered in vines.

A stream gurgled, pebbles paved the ground, ancient pavilions stood, and green pines rose majestically.

Rather than a grand hall, it was more like a natural garden.

"This place is a self-contained space!" the large black dog exclaimed in surprise.

Since ancient sages could open up small worlds, creating a smaller space within a grand hall was naturally no issue for them.

This was a world of light and vitality. To suddenly enter such a lush space from the pitch-black hall where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face was deeply surprising; the contrast was immense.

Ye Fan scanned the surroundings, searching for Pang Bo's figure, his powerful divine sense transformed into a golden sword, ready to strike at any moment.

A cobblestone path led into the ancient wood forest. Vines were everywhere, hanging from the trees to the ground, covered in small white flowers.

"Pang Bo!"

Light burst forth from Ye Fan's eyes as he gazed into the forest.

Ahead, within the ancient wood forest, an altar was concealed by the trees. A tall figure sat quietly cross-legged upon it, covered in many fallen leaves, as if he hadn't moved for a very long time.

His physique was exceptionally strong, much more robust than ordinary people. His upper body was bare, his bronze-colored skin glowed with health, and his thick black hair cascaded to his waist.

It was indeed Pang Bo. They had separated less than a year after arriving in this world, and several years had passed before their reunion today.

*Whoosh!*

Pang Bo, seated cross-legged on the altar, suddenly opened his eyes. They were like two bolts of lightning, extremely sharp.

Seeing such a piercing gaze, Ye Fan's heart immediately sank. This was definitely not Pang Bo; it gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.

Although the person in front was the body of his close friend, he was like a wild beast, filled with a terrifying aura.

"Let's attack!" Ye Fan shouted.

The Black Emperor let out a loud roar, like a savage dragon, causing the entire space to tremble.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Hundreds of large banners were thrown out, enveloping this patch of forest.

The large banners fluttered in the wind, covering the sky and earth, sealing off both the forest patch and the altar to prevent their opponent from escaping.

"Hmph!"

A heavy, cold snort emanated. The muscular figure on the altar, his eyes as sharp as knives, stared at Ye Fan and said, "Have you come to return the 'Dao Scripture'?"

"What have you done to Pang Bo?!" Ye Fan roared.

"I am Pang Bo. Aren't I doing very well now?" The muscular body on the altar remained motionless, sitting quietly cross-legged, but the terrifying aura grew even more intimidating.

"Kid, are you sure this is just a lone, wandering ghost whose lifespan is about to end?" the Black Emperor urgently transmitted. "Why do I feel like I'm facing a true dragon?"

At this moment, Pang Bo, with his bare upper body, indeed resembled an ancient fierce beast, radiating a powerful sense of oppression.

"He's bluffing; he won't live much longer. Let's attack him together and take him down!" Ye Fan made the first move. The golden lake at his glabella nurtured a golden sword, which instantly struck out.

*Clang!*

Pang Bo's glabella also shot out a divine light, which clashed with Ye Fan's golden sword, emitting a series of dazzling and terrifying light, like two iron hammers colliding.

"What powerful divine sense! After not seeing you for several years, you've actually achieved such a level." This Pang Bo's eyes gleamed with divine light as he said, "I haven't forgotten about your body, and today you've delivered yourself to me. I'll take both!"

*Roar...*

The large black dog roared like a savage dragon, shaking mountains and rivers. It was hard to imagine what kind of immense power it possessed within its body, making this space tremble violently.

A slit opened on its forehead, revealing a third vertical eye. A terrifying black light shot out, striking towards the person on the altar!