Chapter 325: Human Origin Fruit

At this moment, Ye Fan completely peeled the pink fruit. It was intact, and its intoxicating fragrance made Li Heishui swallow hard.

"This is absolutely a rare divine medicine! If you want it, Daoist priest, bring out 300,000 catties of origin stones!" Li Heishui demanded, audacious because he was unaware of the Red Dragon Daoist's true identity.

As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle, emptied its contents, and efficiently placed the pink fruit inside.

"This is the stone I chose..." the Red Dragon Daoist said, his face expressionless.

"But I did sell it to them," the gatekeeper of the Heavenly Swirl Sacred Land said weakly, leaning on his cane.

"That's right," Li Heishui chimed in. "Daoist priest, you wouldn't just seize it, would you? That would tarnish your reputation as an esteemed senior."

Ye Fan quickly intervened, fearing Li Heishui would say too much and invite disaster. This old Daoist, like the Peacock King, disregarded worldly laws and acted on his own whims, having nearly killed the Sacred Master of Shaking Light.

"Daoist priest, if you truly need it, I can give it to you," Ye Fan offered, preparing to do him a great favor.

"How can you just give it to him for free? This is worth over a hundred thousand catties of origin stones!" Li Heishui exclaimed.

Ye Fan didn't dare transmit his voice, fearing the Red Dragon Daoist would hear at such a close distance. He merely tugged Li Heishui's sleeve, signaling him not to overdo it.

Knowing Li Heishui's shrewd nature, he immediately changed his tone: "Such precious origin stones! Are you really going to give them to this Daoist priest? Isn't that too generous?"

The Red Dragon Daoist took the jade bottle directly and sealed the fruit. Then, expressionless, he said, "This poor Daoist will not take advantage of you."

"Daoist priest, you've misunderstood; that's not what we meant," Ye Fan quickly explained. "We bought and cut it because we saw you hadn't returned for a long time. Now that you are back, no matter how precious this fruit is, we will not keep it. This stone was originally chosen by you, so it should be returned to you."

Ye Fan did not want to displease the Red Dragon Daoist; otherwise, the old man could crush them with any excuse. So, he generously offered the fruit, appearing to ask for nothing in return.

As expected, the Red Dragon Daoist's expression softened. He said, "After all, you bought it first, and this poor Daoist will not let you suffer a loss. So-called origin stones are useless to me; only a fruit like this holds any meaning."

The Red Dragon Daoist flicked his sleeve, and with a rustling sound, a large pile of origin stones appeared on the ground. They were multicolored, radiating dazzling light, and the spiritual energy they emitted was like thick, swirling mist that wouldn't disperse.

There were a full 30,000 catties of origin stones, which he offered carelessly, as if they were ordinary pebbles.

"This poor Daoist only has this much," he said. "I will find a way to give you the rest later."

"Daoist priest, please don't do this," Ye Fan repeatedly declined. "It would make me uneasy, and I would feel undeserving of these origin stones. I truly dare not accept them."

The Red Dragon Daoist held the jade bottle, repeatedly caressing it. Clearly in a good mood after obtaining the fruit, his expression softened as he said, "If I tell you to take it, then take it. To me, these things are like common coins; they've long been useless."

"In that case, this junior will accept them," Ye Fan replied, no longer declining. "Though it truly feels disrespectful to refuse, and I still feel undeserving."

Then, with a puzzled expression, he seriously asked, "Senior, if I may, what exactly is the use of this fruit?"

The Red Dragon Daoist glanced at him and said, "This fruit is called the Human Origin Fruit, and it has many wondrous properties. In the hands of a master alchemist, it can be refined into a divine pill. For someone like me, it can extend my lifespan by at least fifty to a hundred years."

Refining divine pills, extending lifespan—this was truly a peerless rarity!

It was known that ordinary spiritual medicines were utterly useless to individuals of such immense power; only legendary divine artifacts could offer even slight assistance to strong cultivators of this level.

This pink fruit could actually extend the Red Dragon Daoist's life by fifty years. One could only imagine how many years it would extend an ordinary person's life!

It was indeed a priceless treasure!

The Red Dragon Daoist had been trapped by the Great Emperor Array Patterns of Sheng Ya for 1,500 years and was now around 3,000 years old. His lifespan was likely nearing its end, making this item the most precious thing to him.

"Can such a fruit increase cultivation?" This was what Ye Fan most wanted to know.

"The Human Origin Fruit is more precious than even divine origin stones, but it cannot be eaten carelessly because it also contains potent toxins," the Red Dragon Daoist explained. "It needs to be processed. Only its fragrance has miraculous effects and should be able to increase cultivation, but no one would waste it in such a manner."

The Red Dragon Daoist made it clear that those who sought such rare and miraculous fruits were all ancient beings, and they certainly weren't seeking them to increase their cultivation.

"Its value also differs depending on whose hands it falls into," he continued. "Currently, in my eyes, it's worth over a hundred thousand catties of origin stones. But in the hands of an old Sacred Master with only a few years of life left, it would be far more precious."

The Red Dragon Daoist drifted away. Li Heishui secretly transmitted a message to Ye Fan: "Hundreds of thousands of catties of origin stones, and you just gave them to him like that?"

"Do you know who he is?" Ye Fan replied. "He's the Red Dragon Daoist, the one who almost killed the Sacred Master of Shaking Light last time. He's a truly terrifying existence!"

"What, it's him!" Li Heishui was stunned. He had suspected the old Daoist's identity was unusual but never imagined he was so terrifying—a giant who could roam freely across the Eastern Wasteland.

Ye Fan transmitted his voice: "Didn't he say he'd be in Sacred City recently? If something happens, we can find him at one of the Sacred Land's stone gambling houses. This is a great advantage. I might directly enter a 'Heavenly Character' stone garden of a Sacred Land, and if I cause too much trouble, I'll need him to suppress it."

Li Heishui nodded. "I was a little worried too, afraid you'd gamble too much and get into serious trouble," he admitted. "Meeting the Red Dragon Daoist today was truly an unexpected surprise!"

"Old man, please take some origin stones," Ye Fan said to the last gatekeeper of the Heavenly Swirl Sacred Land.

"These are not my origin stones; I cannot take them," the old man said, shaking his head weakly as he leaned on his cane, his back bent and stooped. "You've already paid a lot when you bought the stone."

Ye Fan swept his sleeve, collecting a large pile of origin stones, but left a small portion behind. Then, he walked out with Li Heishui.

"Today's harvest is enormous—30,000 catties of origin stones!" Li Heishui remarked. "If you keep up this pace, you'll gather all the origin stones you need in a month."

On the way, Ye Fan asked Li Heishui which auction house in Sacred City had the best reputation.

"Sacred City has seven major auction houses. I think the Sky Demon Palace's Treasure Pavilion is quite good," Li Heishui replied. As he spoke, he pointed to the sky, adding, "Look, it's right there, high above this area."

It was a magnificent, grand, and towering heavenly palace—the Sky Demon Palace's Treasure Pavilion.

"What do you want to auction?" Li Heishui couldn't help but ask.

"I want to auction half a fruit, but it absolutely must be anonymous; no one can know about it."

"What kind of fruit?" Li Heishui asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Don't tell me it's the same as the pink fruit from earlier."

Ye Fan took out a jade box. When he opened it, he revealed half of a damaged fruit. A faint fragrance wafted out, and distinct teeth marks were clearly visible on its surface.

"Why do I feel it's really similar to the fruit from before?!" Li Heishui exclaimed, a puzzled expression on his face. "Why does it look like there are canine teeth marks?"

"It's that same fruit from earlier, bitten by a dog!" Ye Fan explained. This was the pink fruit that the Black Emperor had bitten; Ye Fan had kept it afterward, not discarding it because he believed it might still prove very useful.

Upon understanding what had happened, Li Heishui nearly spat blood. "That wasteful dog!" he exclaimed. "It bit off 200,000 catties of origin stones in one go! It truly deserves to be flayed alive and eaten!"

Ye Fan was also frustrated. Anyone would be speechless at a greedy dog biting off so many origin stones in one go. With its potency diminished, the fruit, in its current state, could at most be auctioned for twenty to thirty thousand catties of origin stones.

He thought for a moment and then said, "Now is not a good time for an auction. Wait until the Sacred Lands suffer heavy casualties attacking Purple Mountain, then sell it. No, even better, wait until a certain Sacred Master is on the verge of death before auctioning it."

"Holy hell, aren't you wicked?!" Li Heishui gasped, dumbfounded. "Auctioning a dog-bitten fruit for a Sacred Master to eat..."

"What's wrong with that?" Ye Fan said, his eyes narrowing into a smile. "I'll be saving their lives! They'll not only have to give me origin stones but also be grateful to me."

"Little Ye, you have a future!" Li Heishui said, patting his shoulder. He then chuckled, "I'll be waiting for that moment; just thinking about that scene fills me with glee."

Pedestrians constantly moved along Sacred City's ancient street, flanked by continuous stretches of heavenly palaces. At this moment, the two were not heading to the Sacred Land's stone gambling houses, as the stakes there were incredibly high, astonishingly so.

It wasn't that those with few origin stones couldn't enter, but Ye Fan had grander plans. He aimed to gamble for "rare treasures" and "exotic origin stones" at the Sacred Lands and didn't want to make a name for himself too early while still in the initial stages of accumulation.

In the following days, Ye Fan constantly frequented smaller stone gambling houses to conduct what he called "primitive accumulation."

However, even these so-called small stone gambling houses were vast complexes of palaces, many times larger than the biggest stone gambling houses found in other oases.

For eight consecutive days, Ye Fan left early and returned late, practically living in the various small stone gambling houses in the southeastern corner of Sacred City.

In eight days, he consistently bought origin stones and cut them himself, accumulating over 10,000 catties of origin stones in total.

Li Heishui's jaw nearly dropped. It was utterly astounding to him, and he was so envious that he practically drooled.

For other cultivators, this was a massive fortune, enough to squander freely—perhaps more than they could use in a lifetime.

However, for Ye Fan, this was merely a fraction of what he needed—far from enough. His task was arduous and the road long. He frowned, realizing that even at this astonishing pace, it would still take over two years to gather the necessary origin stones.

Moreover, during this entire process, he couldn't do anything else; he had to dedicate all his energy to stone gambling.

"It seems I really need to go to the Heavenly Character stone gardens of the various Sacred Lands to gamble for 'rare treasures' and 'exotic origin stones'," he mused.

The Sacred Lands' Heavenly Character stone gardens were quite special. One couldn't purchase stones and take them away to cut; they had to be cut on-site. This was because the Sacred Land's members wanted to observe the process and gather experience.

This was a rigid rule whose origin was unknown. Some speculated that it began after the Origin Heavenly Master of yesteryear caused the Sacred Lands immense losses, leaving them thoroughly defeated in gambling, which compelled them to refine their origin techniques.

In fact, over the years, the origin techniques of the Sacred Lands had indeed improved significantly; most individuals deeply skilled in origin techniques might not even be able to compare.

In recent months, Ye Fan had virtually imprinted the Origin Heaven Book into every inch of his being. Even after arriving in Sacred City and being busy with stone gambling these past few days, he had pondered its contents incessantly.

It could be said that his origin techniques had reached an astonishing level; he could almost discern even stones containing divine origin.

"Starting today, I will begin sweeping through the major Sacred Lands!"

"Are you finally going?"

"Yes, I can't wait!" Ye Fan declared, making his decision.

On the ninth day, Ye Fan and Li Heishui arrived at the Dao One Sacred Land. They had heard that eight eccentrics there had recently been causing a huge commotion, threatening to win away the Dao One Sacred Land's Saintess. The two hoped to take advantage of the chaos.

The young Daoist priestess of the Dao One Sacred Land had left a profound impression on Ye Fan in the past when she purified thousands of shadowy figures and horses by chanting "Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable" with a celestial voice.

He wanted to see who these audacious individuals were, daring to be so reckless and fearless of the Sacred Land. If he could unite them and have these eight people stir up trouble in other Sacred Lands, it would be an excellent idea.

The Dao One Sacred Land was surrounded by towering ancient trees that cast large areas of shade. The Daoist temple itself was very peaceful, possessing a sense of rustic simplicity amidst the luxurious Sacred City.

Amidst the vast mortal world, this place seemed like a pure land. Ancient trees stretched in groves, and the Daoist temple shimmered with a faint golden light under the sun, appearing incredibly sacred.

This Daoist temple covered a vast area, nestled among the vegetation. As they approached, Ye Fan immediately spotted two familiar faces: the Great Xia Prince and the little nun in white.

Beside them were several accompanying individuals, all of whom appeared to be of significant status, not ordinary young people.

"Is His Royal Highness going to gamble stones with Jin Chixiao of the Golden Family this time, or against Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Sky Demon Palace?" someone asked.

"No hurry for those," the Great Xia Prince replied. "Let's first see what those eight eccentrics are truly like. I've heard about them for a long time but never seen them." He stood with black hair like a waterfall, eyes like torches, and walked with the powerful strides of a dragon, radiating majestic divine might.

"Oh, look, this little bumpkin actually came here!" one person exclaimed, seeing Ye Fan approach and unable to stifle a laugh. "Does he want to stare at a 'watermelon stone' again?"

"Brother Wu, do you know this young man?" someone inquired.

"I saw him at a small stone gambling house," Wu Ziming scoffed. "He foolishly bought a pile of 'watermelon stones' and then happily ran off."

Hearing this, the others immediately burst into laughter. Even the Great Xia Prince and the little nun couldn't help but smile.

"He is Wu Ziming, the chief disciple of the Five Elements Palace's Sect Master," Li Heishui transmitted to Ye Fan.

Through Li Heishui's introduction, Ye Fan learned that this group consisted of disciples from major sects. While not comparable to the Great Xia Prince, their statuses were all exceptionally noble.

Wu Ziming, with a mocking smile, waved at Ye Fan and teased, "Today, do you want to come to Dao One Sacred Land to buy 'watermelon stones'?"

"What's wrong with 'watermelon stones'?" Li Heishui retorted.

Everyone immediately burst into laughter. Wu Ziming shook his head, scoffing, "Even if 'watermelon stones' can yield origin stones, they're only a few pitiful 'melon seeds.' The origin particles are so tiny! Do you even understand origin stones? Coming here truly disgraces the Dao One Sacred Land."

"Young lads, you'd best turn back soon," someone said, shaking their head mockingly. "This isn't a place for the likes of you."

"Oh, don't be like that! Come in with me," Wu Ziming roared with laughter. "Later, you can pick up all the 'watermelon stones' behind me; I'll save them for you."

Many people couldn't help but burst into laughter, and even the Great Xia Prince smiled and shook his head.

"What's wrong with 'watermelon stones'?" Li Heishui challenged, brimming with confidence in Ye Fan's origin techniques. "How about I use 'watermelon stones' to gamble against all of you?"

"Haha... did you hear that?" came the mocking response. "Someone wants to gamble against us with 'watermelon stones'!"

"Two bumpkins, honestly, I'm speechless..."

After he finished laughing, Wu Ziming scoffed, "Alright, let's go. Today, you can pick up 'watermelons' behind me."

Even the Great Xia Prince couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Ziming, you're bullying them too much."

Wu Ziming scoffed in return, "It's not that we're bullying them; they're practically asking for it, rushing to let us make fun of them. If we didn't tease them, they wouldn't even know what to do with themselves."

Ye Fan transmitted his voice to Li Heishui: "These bird-brains, get ready to collect origin stones in a bit!"