Chapter 275: Li City Nine Secrets Storms Arise

Licheng’s streets were lined with divine blue trees. Their branches were lush, and their leaves were sky-blue, a dreamy color, while their trunks shone like blue crystals.

Ahead, on the ancient street, stood a young girl in purple, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen. Her curved eyebrows and sparkling eyes exuded an aura of spiritual energy, making her exceptionally beautiful, as captivating as an elf under the night moon.

“Ji Ziyue…” Ye Fan stood in the distance, not approaching. He had also spotted Ji Haoyue, the renowned Divine Body of the Eastern Wasteland and one of the strongest among the younger generation.

His enmity with the Ji family ran too deep. In the Southern Domain, he had burned their Grand Elder to death, and more recently, in Quzhou, he had slain four young Ji family disciples, causing significant repercussions. If Ji Haoyue were to discover him, he would undoubtedly attack without mercy.

“Judging by his powerful stride, full of vigor and spirit, the hidden injuries he sustained years ago while being hunted by the Peacock King’s eldest disciple must have fully healed,” Ye Fan thought.

Ye Fan cultivated the Great Dao of Transformation, which allowed him to change his appearance and aura. However, he still harbored apprehension because the Divine Body and the Sacred Body had a strong mutual reaction; they had even involuntarily clashed once at the Tai Xuan Sect.

“What are they doing in Licheng?” he wondered. He knew they had come to the Northern Domain for the Jade Lake Grand Gathering, but he didn't understand why they had stopped in Licheng.

At this moment, Ye Fan had already changed his appearance. He wore a Daoist robe, once again posing as a young Daoist priest, though his current face was different from his previous Daoist guises.

“Now that my cultivation has greatly advanced, many times stronger than before, I should be able to control my body better. Perhaps I won't react with the Divine Body,” Ye Fan thought, wanting to test it.

Because he was going to attend the Jade Lake Grand Gathering, he would inevitably encounter Ji Haoyue and even the Jiang family's Divine Body. If they were to sense each other, the consequences would be dire.

Ye Fan reined in his aura and suppressed his cultivation, making himself appear like an ordinary person. Then, he walked forward along the ancient street.

As he drew closer, he also employed the Great Dao of Transformation, as recorded in the Origin Heaven Book, to suppress his true essence.

Finally, as he gradually approached Ji Haoyue, his body showed no special reaction, and the other party did not sense anything at all.

The street was bustling with people, a continuous flow of activity, very prosperous. Ye Fan subtly brushed past them, not stopping, and quietly walked away.

He felt that Ji Haoyue had become even more formidable. His Divine Body was like an unfathomable abyss, like a lurking deity capable of erupting with earth-shattering combat power at any moment.

As for Ji Ziyue, she had grown even more beautiful. Her dimples appeared when she smiled lightly, and her small canine teeth sparkled, making her look both playful and clever.

“Ziyue, what are you looking at?” Ji Haoyue asked, his eyes filled with doting affection for his sister.

“That young Daoist priest I just saw was a bit special…” Ji Ziyue mused thoughtfully.

“Just a young Daoist priest. What could be special about him? If there were anything unusual, my body would surely sense it,” Ji Haoyue shook his head.

Ye Fan drifted away, not lingering, and continued walking down the ancient street.

Licheng resembled a colossal garden city. Although its streets were bustling with traffic and prosperity, the scenery was exceptionally beautiful, with springs and gardens visible at frequent intervals.

Suddenly, Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat. He had spotted another familiar face — Wu Zhongtian.

He was tall, with piercing eyes like a leopard's and a full beard, resembling a powerful lion—very robust and strong. He was the grandson of the Fifth Great Bandit, Wu Dao, and a sworn brother to Tu Fei, Li Heishui, Jiang Huairen, and Liu Kou.

“Why is he here too? Has something major happened in Licheng?” Ye Fan wondered, his heart stirring.

Wu Zhongtian was a top young expert. When Tu Fei and the others were no match for the Shaking Light Saint Son, they had considered asking for his help. Although he claimed he was not the Saint Son's equal, it was clear that his combat power was extremely formidable.

Suddenly, Wu Zhongtian flashed and disappeared. On the other side of the street, a striking figure appeared: Yao Xi, graceful and alluring, like a newly bloomed divine lotus, approaching lightly.

She had a slender, captivating figure, enchanting like a peerless enchantress. At the same time, her aura was sacred, her skin crystalline, possessing an untouchable, transcendent divine charm—beauty to the extreme.

“No, something must have happened. Otherwise, why would they all be in the same city?” Ye Fan mused, avoiding her.

He then stopped passersby and asked if any major events had occurred there, but all of them shook their heads, unaware.

It was nearing noon, so he found a place to eat, filling his stomach while listening to the conversations around him. Unfortunately, he still learned nothing.

The place seemed peaceful, with nothing out of the ordinary happening.

Finally, after eating his fill, Ye Fan began to stroll around the city. He discovered that both the Holy Lands and Ancient Aristocratic Families had opened stone-gambling establishments in this ancient city.

“Perhaps I should try my luck at a stone-gambling establishment; I might even pick up some news.” Currently, he only had five thousand jin of origin stones left, and he needed ten thousand jin to break through to the Triple Heaven of the Dao Palace realm.

Origin stones were what he needed most. He had been diligently studying the Origin Heaven Book, and once he had mastered it sufficiently, he would enter the Holy City of the Northern Domain.

“Cultivation is a big problem…” He got a headache every time he thought about the massive amount of origin stones required.

He had obtained divine arts for cultivating a single Secret Realm from the remains of ancient sages. He had been trying them out lately, but the cultivation speed was too slow.

Originally, his pursuit of origin stones wasn't so urgent, but seeing this result, he had to reconsider. Perhaps a two-pronged approach was necessary: continue cultivating the single Secret Realm while also striving for origin stones. If he could break into the Four Extremes Secret Realm, he might have better options.

“Cultivating a single Secret Realm is difficult and slow to show results, but I urgently need strength. It seems I must find a way to gather origin stones and first enter the Triple Heaven of the Dao Palace realm.”

Ye Fan chose among the establishments and entered the “Wondrous Stone Workshop” operated by the Shaking Light Holy Land. It was a vast garden, filled with divine blue trees, ancient vines entwining, and lush flowers and plants.

The scenery was beautiful, and the piles of raw stones became part of the garden landscape, not looking monotonous at all. It resembled a garden more than a stone-cutting area.

Ye Fan decided to act discreetly. He didn't want to gamble with others here; he preferred to buy stones directly, put them away, and cut them himself later to avoid trouble.

The Shaking Light's Wondrous Stone Workshop was indeed very large, encompassing eighteen courtyards in a garden style, with pleasant scenery.

Many people were gambling on stones there, but once dispersed among the various courtyards, it didn't seem crowded at all. Instead, it was very peaceful, and strolling amidst the beautiful scenery was a complete pleasure.

Ye Fan was amazed. After entering, he took a look around and found that indeed, there were no 'commoners' present; anyone who dared to enter a Holy Land's stone-gambling establishment held a certain status.

Before long, he had already encountered some so-called elders, sons of sect masters, and the like.

The Holy City held immense attraction; the imperial families of Central State and the great powers of Northern Plains frequented it. Thus, it was natural for these stone-gambling establishments below it to attract cultivators from the surrounding areas.

Ye Fan remained silent but made repeated purchases. In a blink of an eye, he had already visited seven courtyards, spending five hundred jin of origin stones and storing small mountains of raw stones into his jade pure bottle.

Buying raw stones without cutting them on the spot naturally caught the attention of some people. Some even saw him as an easy target and came over to challenge him to stone gambling.

“Alright, no problem,” Ye Fan responded, “However, I don't gamble small. If you want to bet, it must be a thousand jin or more.”

A thousand jin of origin stones was the entire fortune of the lowest-tier small sects. While there were many members of medium-sized sects present, they dared not gamble a thousand jin at once.

Such a gamble could ultimately involve tens of thousands of jin in win or loss. This was not the Holy City after all; such large sums were rarely seen here.

After being left undisturbed, Ye Fan continued selecting raw stones. He bought another two thousand jin of stones, stored them in his jade pure bottle, and then entered the thirteenth courtyard.

This courtyard was covered in vines, with many raw stones buried beneath them. It was very quiet, and few people were selecting stones there.

Ye Fan picked out dozens of pieces, then his eyes lit up. He saw a stone as black as ink, pitted and uneven, as if it had been gnawed by insects. It closely resembled black jade material, which could sometimes yield extremely precious exotic origins.

He quickly walked over, but just then, another figure appeared, waved a hand, and swept the stone away with a divine light.

“Why did you snatch my stone?!” Ye Fan was somewhat annoyed.

The person appeared to be in his thirties, with a plump, rather corpulent figure and a rosy complexion. He wore a Daoist robe and had a perpetual smiling expression.

When Ye Fan recognized the person's face, he was stunned. It was none other than the scoundrel Daoist, Duan De.

He was quite surprised, never expecting to meet him here. This further confirmed that something must have happened in this place; otherwise, it wouldn't be such a coincidence that so many people had gathered.

Especially this fat rascal, who was as mysterious as a dragon whose head is seen but not its tail. Where he appeared, there was surely a significant opportunity; otherwise, he wouldn't show up.

“You fat rascal, don't you understand first-come, first-served? Why did you snatch my stone?” Ye Fan gritted his teeth. Recalling past events, he really wanted to imprint his shoe sole on the fat rascal's face.

“This poor Daoist had it in his hand first,” Duan De replied with an innocent smile.

Although Ye Fan really wanted to kick him a few times, he had to restrain himself. This fat rascal was truly extraordinary.

He had once dug up the ancestral grave of the Fifth Great Bandit, Wu Dao, in the Northern Domain, yet he remained lively and unharmed. Then he crossed the void to the Southern Domain, where several great figures threw him into the Demon Emperor's Yin Tomb, yet he entered and exited nine times, still surviving.

Now, he had crossed the void back to the Northern Domain. Looking at him, plump and glistening, he was clearly living very comfortably.

“Young brother, didn't you just say you wouldn't gamble with less than a thousand jin of origin stones? How about I gamble a few rounds with you?” Duan De asked with a smile.

Ye Fan felt annoyed just looking at him; he seemed to be asking for a beating. He said, “Fine, I'll gamble with you.” He couldn't be happier, hoping to win even the fat rascal's pants.

“This poor Daoist doesn't have a thousand jin of origin stones, however…” Duan De began.

“However what? If you don't have a thousand jin, what are you gambling with me?!”

“If I lose, I'll sell you a piece of information worth ten thousand jin of origin stones,” Duan De said, then uttered a Daoist chant, assuming the air of an enlightened master.

“You fat rascal, I've never seen anyone as greedy as you! If you lose, you still want to demand ten thousand jin of origin stones from me? What kind of information? It must be a scam.” Ye Fan wanted to slap him; this unscrupulous Daoist was too unethical.

“An ascetic does not speak falsehoods,” Duan De said solemnly. “Those with keen senses will all come to Licheng because there is an invaluable treasure here.”

“What kind of thing?” Ye Fan asked nonchalantly.

“One of the Nine Secrets is very likely to be found here. I know important clues about this secret,” the unscrupulous Daoist finished, grinning, his face flushed. “Do you want to gamble?”

Ye Fan's heart immediately jolted. He didn't believe the fat rascal would give him valuable clues, but it was highly probable that one of the Nine Secrets was indeed here.

Otherwise, why would Ji Haoyue, Ji Ziyue, Wu Zhongtian, Yao Xi, and Duan De all appear together? Perhaps others would also arrive.

“You are…” Just then, Yao Xi appeared. Her grace was unmatched, like a blooming pearl, as she walked into the courtyard and fixed her gaze on the unscrupulous Daoist.

“You are Daoist Duan!” Yao Xi was slightly startled but quickly composed herself.

This was the Wondrous Stone Workshop of the Shaking Light Holy Land, so her presence here was perfectly normal. Ye Fan wasn't surprised.

“Infinite Heavenly Venerate, greetings, Saintess.”

“Sister Yao Xi…” Just then, a clear voice called out. From another courtyard, Ji Ziyue, like a purple-clad elf, walked over with a cheerful smile, accompanied by the Divine King Body, Ji Haoyue.