Chapter 285: The Secret of the Ancient Scroll

Most of the Holy Sons and Holy Maidens from various Sacred Lands in the Eastern Wasteland had arrived. They were likely to be the future Holy Lords, representing hope and the future.

If Ye Fan were to act mercilessly and eliminate everyone present, it would be tantamount to annihilating the younger generation of the Eastern Wasteland. This would inevitably lead to the decline of talented individuals and the severing of an era, an immeasurable loss. The mere thought sent shivers down one's spine.

"It's you..." Yao Xi said calmly, uttering only these two words.

"That's right, it's me..." Ye Fan conjured a golden hand, holding her chin with a composed expression.

These words seemed ordinary and would go unnoticed by others. However, the two were actually exchanging veiled barbs, and perhaps only the Holy Maiden of Jade Lake beside them could understand. Yao Xi recognized Ye Fan as the young Daoist from the Lihuo Divine Furnace, as they had both entered the Primordial Restricted Zone together, and she had seen him produce this furnace.

However, it was precisely because of this that the Saint Son of Shaking Light's composure and terrifying nature were revealed. Just now, he had remained unperturbed, and before Ye Fan threw him into the furnace, he had only asked, "Are we enemies?" In fact, whether as the young Daoist or as the true Ye Fan, he outwardly had no animosity towards the Saint Son of Shaking Light. Ye Fan had only speculated that the ancient creature was the Saint Son of Shaking Light in disguise, but he couldn't be certain. Therefore, he said nothing and simply threw the Saint Son of Shaking Light directly into the divine furnace.

Yao Xi struggled slightly, her beautiful eyes flickering, and said, "You're not thinking of throwing me into that furnace too, are you?"

"Unfortunately, there's no black flame inside, otherwise I could send you all on your way together," Ye Fan said, shaking his head.

"You..." At that moment, Yao Xi was startled, because the golden hand conjured by Ye Fan suddenly smacked her away with a bang, sending her crashing against the Primordial Stone.

"If you don't die, I'll return your brassiere in the future," Ye Fan said with a calm smile. These words were transmitted secretly, with only one purpose: to shut her up.

Clang!

The lid of the Lihuo Divine Furnace was opened, and Ye Fan directly threw Yao Xi inside. He did not hesitate at all, acting with extreme decisiveness.

"Ah...!"

Just then, the Golden-Winged Young Roc King burst out, completely blackened, almost like charcoal. The Saint Son of Shaking Light followed closely, also looking as if he had fallen into a coal mine. Ye Fan showed no mercy; he struck out with the Void Great Hand Seal, hitting the Golden-Winged Young Roc King's head, knocking both of them back inside.

Clang!

The five-colored furnace lid flew back and re-covered the divine furnace. Inside, raging flames burned fiercely, turning the entire furnace body fiery red, while the Primordial Stone emitted streaks of auspicious light, providing divine power to it.

"You..." The expressions of the people from Shaking Light changed repeatedly.

"You desecrated the Holy Maiden and threw her into the furnace! You are truly ruthless!" Many people from Shaking Light Holy Land trembled with rage.

"If someone wants to put you to death, do you intend to worship them?" Ye Fan retorted.

"When did my Shaking Light ever make trouble for you? Do you know who they are?" someone gritted their teeth.

"I don't need to explain anything to you. Enemies are meant to be killed, no matter their identity," Ye Fan replied calmly.

Many people present were inwardly shocked. Even the dignified Holy Maiden of Shaking Light, an unparalleled beauty, had been thrown in. The inheritors of all Sacred Lands were in great danger. It was clear that Ye Fan had no qualms and would show no mercy when he acted.

"What a waste, what a waste! The Holy Maiden of Shaking Light is about to turn to ashes. The world will lose a peerless beauty..." Liu Kou transmitted, sounding incredibly regretful.

Wu Zhongtian secretly transmitted, rebuking, "That's how it should be. As long as they are a great enemy, no matter who they are—even if they were a true celestial immortal descended to the mortal world—they should be refined. One must be ruthless."

Ye Fan did not respond, but instead stepped forward, walking around the area without making another move.

"You should leave quickly..." The Holy Maiden of Jade Lake transmitted with her divine sense, "Otherwise, you will truly be in danger."

"Thank you for your kindness," Ye Fan smiled. Then, after a moment of thought, he secretly transmitted, "In the future, I might visit Jade Lake with phoenix blood crimson gold."

He swept his gaze over the inheritors from the Great Evolution, Myriad Beginnings, Dao One, Purple Mansion, and other Sacred Lands, but did not make a move, as he had no conflict with them. This made the people below breathe a sigh of relief, fearing that Ye Fan would silently throw everyone into the divine furnace.

The next moment, Ye Fan appeared before Ji Haoyue. A golden hand materialized, intending to strike him into the divine furnace to refine him along with the others. This instantly made the people of the Ji family incredibly tense. However, Ye Fan eventually paused his hand. He thought of Ji Ziyue and recalled how she had erected a memorial tomb for him in the past.

"Never mind. I'll spare your Divine Physique for now. I'll meet you again when I enter the Four Extremities Realm."

Ye Fan returned to the Primordial Stone and sat cross-legged on it. He cast a fire-urging spell towards the divine furnace, circulating his divine power, determined to refine the three powerful individuals. Here, the force field emanating from the Primordial Stone counteracted divine power, making it impossible to kill them with genuine combat techniques. Perhaps only this peculiar furnace could refine them. The Primordial Stone emitted streaks of auspicious light, which entered the furnace, making it even hotter and glowing intensely red. The sun carved on its surface disappeared, also entering the furnace.

This was destined to be a lengthy process. Ye Fan remained highly vigilant, ready to conjure the Profound Jade Platform and traverse the void at any moment. He was racing against time, hoping to stay longer and thoroughly refine the three powerful masters. During this process, he took out the ancient beast skin scroll, unfolded it, and carefully examined it.

At this moment, he was startled, because there was a piece of silk inside the ancient scroll, with some ancient characters and a topographical map on it.

Nine Secrets!

There were actually Nine Secrets! He had thought this great tomb was mostly unrelated to that ancient aristocratic family, but he was mistaken; this was the burial ground of that ancient aristocratic family's distant ancestor. The silk cloth did not contain the cultivation method for the Nine Secrets, but only a map and some explanations. The distant ancestor of this ancient aristocratic family had a long-term vision, frankly stating that there were no immortal dynasties, let alone eternal aristocratic families. In the long river of history, some Sacred Lands and ancient aristocratic families would be annihilated, not to mention ordinary families. He did not want one of the Nine Secrets to be lost someday due to the decline of their family. Thus, he specially left this piece of silk.

Originally, he had obtained this secret method from a mysterious place. The silk cloth indicated the location, leaving it for those fated to find it, who could follow the path he once took. He was an enlightened individual, possessing the same sentiments as God King Jiang Taixu. Ye Fan, without changing his expression, put the silk cloth away. No one else knew about this secret hidden within the ancient scroll.

It was only then that he formally examined the ancient scroll. It contained many characters and a clear map. Ye Fan's expression instantly changed after a brief glance, because he saw a familiar topographical map on it: nine dragon veins guarding one mountain! This was a topographical map of Mount Zi, the demonic mountain suppressed by Emperor Wu Shi. Such a map had surprisingly been circulated.

"Black Emperor..." Ye Fan transmitted with his divine sense.

The big black dog was hiding inside the cauldron, and it was unclear how much divine power it had expended trying to absorb the Primordial Stone into the cauldron. But it was so exhausted that it was almost foaming at the mouth, yet it couldn't budge the stone at all.

"I've discovered something: whenever I'm with you, this Emperor always toils in vain and runs into bad luck..."

"Stop complaining and look at this map..." Ye Fan put the ancient scroll into the cauldron for it to examine.

"Damn it, someone really managed to get a glimpse of the Great Emperor's secrets and figure out the location of the Emperor Mountain..."

By now, Ye Fan didn't need to guess much. This imperial palace, which had been converted into the Temple of Light, was undoubtedly Emperor Wu Shi's bedchamber, and this Primordial Stone was Emperor Wu Shi's former bed. After the big black dog finished cursing, it suddenly fell silent and did not speak for a long time.

"Black Emperor, what's wrong? You haven't been cursed by the tomb, have you?"

"Kid, do you want to harm people or not?" the Black Emperor suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?" Ye Fan asked.

"Whoever you dislike, just give this map to them," the Black Emperor replied calmly.

"What do you mean? If that's the case, wouldn't Mount Zi, guarded by nine dragons, become known to others? It would no longer be peaceful and would be excavated!" Ye Fan knew that the big black dog must have a great connection to Mount Zi.

"Counting the time, more than a hundred thousand years have passed. Perhaps Mount Zi should surface now," the big black dog said dully, looking somewhat disheartened.

"What are you saying? Aren't you afraid Mount Zi will be destroyed by the various Sacred Lands?" Ye Fan asked.

"Unless there's a living Great Emperor in this world, no one can obtain anything from Mount Zi," the big black dog replied with a very confident tone, as if regaining its composure. "Just give this map to anyone you don't like."

Ye Fan's heart tightened, and he immediately thought of many things. A huge storm was likely to break out at Mount Zi!

"Are you sure the various Sacred Lands won't be able to obtain the Scripture of Wu Shi?" What Ye Fan cared about most in Mount Zi was that stone scripture.

"Unless there's a living Great Emperor, or someone obtains the complete jade pendant, no one can open the ancient scripture," the Black Emperor responded confidently.

This big black dog knew too much, but Ye Fan found it difficult to press it for answers. He began to ponder seriously.

"Anyway, these Sacred Lands have nothing to do. I might as well let them shift their attention," he decided, a cold smile appearing on his face. He wanted to give away the ancient scroll, but he lacked a good excuse. "Why hasn't that unscrupulous Daoist appeared yet?" Ye Fan had been on guard against him, but now he truly wished for him to jump out and hand him a hot potato.

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the Temple of Light. An ultimate might swept across the area, making even the Primordial Stone tremble. The ancient pagoda in the hall collapsed instantly. Yan Ruyu, with her unparalleled grace, stood alone in the center. She used her ultimate weapon to reduce the ancient pagoda to dust, causing her opponent to vanish into thin air, and thus emerged from the pagoda. At the same time, disciples from many Sacred Lands rapidly retreated. The leaders were all experts at the fourth layer of the Dao Palace. They had been guarding the ancient pagoda just now, so their intentions were obvious.

Not every Sacred Land possessed an ultimate weapon; there were only a few in the entire Eastern Wasteland. If Yan Ruyu were to perish here, for some, it would be a greater opportunity than anything else! Unfortunately, many Saint Sons had been fixed in mid-air earlier, which was something they had not anticipated.

"Daoist Duan, what do you mean?" Yan Ruyu stood gracefully in the center of the area, staring at a patch of empty space nearby.

A plump figure materialized; Duan De laughed sheepishly and said, "I was worried Princess Yan might have an accident, so I was guarding nearby."

"This damned fat man!" Ye Fan's heart tightened. This fellow had indeed arrived much earlier, remaining hidden. His ambition was vast; he was actually coveting an ultimate weapon. Yan Ruyu's expression remained calm, her flawless jade-like face showing no emotion. She said nothing more as the light in her palm flared intensely, and her ultimate immortal might became even more terrifying.

Duan De quickly retreated and said, "Princess Yan, please don't misunderstand. How dare I try to rob you? King Peacock, King Azure Dragon, and Old Roc King are all outside. Unless I don't want to live anymore."

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone's expressions changed. Not only had Grand Elders from Sacred Lands arrived, but the three great Demon Kings had also appeared simultaneously.

"Duan De... I'm telling you, my grandfather Wu Dao is also here..." Wu Zhongtian gritted his teeth.

Upon hearing this, Duan De immediately shrank his neck. Having once plundered someone's ancestral tomb, it would be truly unimaginable if he were cornered here.

"Black Emperor, hand it over!" Ye Fan transmitted secretly, taking the ancient scroll out of the cauldron and holding it in his hand.

At this very moment, something that startled everyone happened. Duan De, with a broken bowl on his head, charged towards the Primordial Stone like a ghost; the force field could not stop him!

Whoosh!

Duan De rushed past with incredible speed. He snatched the ancient scroll from Ye Fan's hand, truly appearing and disappearing like a phantom. He burst into laughter, his mouth splitting almost to his ears. But he wasn't satisfied; a large, plump hand actually reached for the cauldron on Ye Fan's head.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!..."

"Ah! Ah! Ah!..."

Duan De cried out, repeatedly shaking his right arm. In that instant, he had been bitten seventeen or eighteen times, from his fingers all the way up his arm. "Boundless Heavenly Venerate! Whose damned dog is this?!"