Chapter 345: The Little Spirit in the Divine Source

"Could it really be a dragon?""True dragons are like immortals; they don't descend to the mortal world. How could such a thing exist?!"The scene erupted with excitement, many people exclaiming in surprise. It was truly astonishing that a living creature was contained within the divine source.

A stone sphere, half the size of a human head, had a thin layer of its skin peeled away. Like a golden sun, it hung in mid-air, its light dazzling.

Those with weaker cultivation had only one option: close their eyes. It was almost impossible to look directly at it; the divine light injured the eyes, radiating outwards like golden needles.Cultivators with profound abilities crowded forward, many gaping in astonishment, all wanting to clearly see what kind of creature had been born within.

Ye Fan's heart was restless. Cutting open the divine source to find a living creature inside had exceeded his expectations.The divine source pulsed like a startled child, trying to escape, but it was suppressed by an elder's light barrier, forced to remain in place.Many people completely surrounded it; even Ye Fan couldn't get through. The emergence of something more precious than source stones was truly sensational.No one present could remain calm; all were incredibly agitated, and a clamor filled the air.

"Brother Gufeng, you must sell this rare treasure to us!""Little Brother Gu, could we discuss this? My Yin-Yang Sect intends to purchase this divine source and the creature within.""There's a first-come, first-served rule! I said it first, old man Wang, you stay in the back!""The highest bidder wins! I'm willing to pay a sky-high price!"...Before it was even determined what was inside the divine source, a group of old men were already red-faced and shouting, arguing fiercely.They were all elders from major sects, each with an intimidating background.

"Arguing is useless. Let Brother Gufeng decide. He'll sell it to whoever he wishes.""Little Brother Gufeng...""Huh? Brother Gufeng, where are you?"It was only then that the group of old men realized the main person wasn't in front of them and had been squeezed somewhere.

"Seniors, I'm outside and can't get in! Could you please make some room so I can also see what has been cut out?"Ye Fan truly couldn't squeeze through. These old men were all full of vigor, as if they'd been injected with a stimulant, lively and energetic.Though their limbs were old, they were harder than iron bars, having squeezed out almost all of the younger generation, leaving many grimacing.Only Prince Daxia, Yaoyue Kong, Jin Chixiao, and a few others could remain inside, though they too were disheveled. It was impressive just to stand there. The little nun in white wrinkled her nose and hid behind her brother.

"Quick, quickly make a path for little Brother Gu and let him in.""Old man, move aside quickly! Don't block the main person."Everyone stopped pushing, and Ye Fan finally walked in, reaching the center of the area. Without a doubt, he had become the focal point.

"I'm here too!"Li Heishui's shoes had been squeezed off by the group of old men, and his clothes were disheveled, but he finally managed to follow in.He couldn't help but complain, saying, "I say, seniors, please don't get so excited like you've seen a peerless beauty, okay? My clothes are almost ripped off!"

Ye Fan finally made it inside. The divine source was dazzling, and despite all the elders arguing for a long time, they still hadn't figured out what was inside."Seniors, let's not argue about that first. What do you all think it is?"Ye Fan was also observing, but the divine light was too intense. He could only see a general outline and couldn't examine it in fine detail.Mainly, the creature within the divine source was itself very peculiar, wrapped in a hazy glow.

Through the blur, a golden silhouette could be seen. It resembled a golden snake, yet also a small golden dragon, motionless."There can't be true dragons in this world. It must be a flood dragon, or a sacred snake that grew horns.""Most likely a golden snake, or a type of flood dragon.""Who says there are no true dragons? Perhaps it's an ancient young dragon sealed within the divine source."...The opinions of the elders were quite divided, with varying viewpoints.

The dazzling divine source illuminated the entire island, making the surrounding lake water crystal clear and turning it golden.As for the ancient trees on the island, they were all imbued with golden radiance, and even their petals became sacred, shimmering with iridescent light, translucent and sparkling.

Ye Fan remained silent, activating his Source Heaven Divine Sense to observe carefully. Two beams of purple light immediately shot from his eyes, entering the divine source."It is..."This was a special technique from the Source Heaven Book that could see through illusions and penetrate to the essence. Ye Fan clearly saw the creature inside, and he was very surprised.The small creature couldn't move, sealed within, but it was definitely still alive. Its bodily functions were slowly recovering, and a faint heartbeat could be heard.

"This truly looks like a dragon!"Ye Fan's heart pounded, unable to suppress his excitement. The small creature was over half a foot long, curled up inside, with a golden dragon body and a pair of dragon horns on its head."No, it doesn't have dragon scales."Ye Fan observed closely and found its body was very smooth, its golden surface as lustrous as jade, without a single dragon scale.He quickly calmed down again and pondered carefully. At this point, he discovered another anomaly: the so-called golden dragon horns were actually fleshy and shimmered with light."A strange small dragon, a small flood dragon, or a small golden snake?" He was puzzled, unable to determine what it was.What surprised him most was that the small creature's eyes were very large and open, appearing very innocent, gazing back at him."Much larger than a dragon's eyes, and so bright and expressive." Ye Fan was momentarily speechless; this small creature seemed very human-like.

*Thump!*Just then, the divine source pulsed again. It kept trying to escape, as if scared by the group of old men.Clearly, it wasn't very powerful; it couldn't break free or flee.

"So cute!" The little nun in white, a loli with bright, clear eyes, stared at the divine source. Her eyes were not scorched by the divine light, and she seemed able to see everything inside."Little Brother Gufeng, Miaoyi truly hopes you will sell this source to me." An Miaoyi also approached, speaking softly, her body exuding a fragrance like orchid and musk."Brother Gufeng, can you tell what it is by observing it with your source techniques?" an old man asked.Ye Fan shook his head. At this point, he could only confirm that this small creature was not a dangerous beast and seemed harmless.

He extended his right hand and held the divine source in his palm. At that moment, all his pores opened, and the most primordial essence of heaven and earth entered his body, making him feel completely comfortable.Such was the divine source; even without being refined, it already made one feel its extraordinary nature.

*Crack!*Suddenly, the divine source cracked, and the golden creature struggled hard to break free, wanting to rush out."Quick, set up a restriction! Seal this place tightly!""Stop it! Don't let it escape!"...Everyone was startled. A group of old men swiftly acted, casting layer after layer of light barriers, sealing it multiple times.From afar, other cultivators were even more agitated. Some charged forward recklessly, creating a clamor, eager to see clearly.Others, however, retreated quickly as if avoiding snakes and scorpions, fearful of becoming contaminated."You rookies, why are you rushing foolishly? No ancient creature is benevolent. If one truly emerges, rivers of blood will flow.""Don't you know? The ancient creatures cut out in the past were all incredibly powerful and took many lives."As soon as these words spread, a wave of panic erupted. Those who had been charging forward froze, then quickly retreated.In the Ji family's sacred territory, flying was strictly forbidden, but at this moment, people didn't care about the rules. Many rose into the air, keeping their distance.Of course, a large portion of people remained and did not leave. Instead, they advanced a short distance, seeing that the elders had not retreated.

*Crack!*The divine source split open, a golden flash, and the small creature burst out. No one was not nervous, for the ancient creatures' fierce power had shaken the world and left too many legends.Only Ye Fan remained relatively calm, for he had sensed with his Source Heaven Divine Sense that this small creature harbored no killing intent.

*Whoosh!*A golden shadow flashed. No one could stop it. Even Ye Fan's Heaven-Sealing and Earth-Locking profound technique from his source arts couldn't contain it; it was unbelievably fast.Fortunately, the area was sealed, so it couldn't escape. It hovered in mid-air, emitting a hazy golden light."Heavens, is it really a dragon?!"At this moment, everyone saw it clearly. It closely resembled a true dragon, except it had no scales; its entire body was like golden jade, shimmering translucently.Of course, there were also differences: its eyes were too large, incredibly bright and expressive, making many women envious.At this moment, its expression was very human-like, seemingly a little scared, yet also confused and somewhat innocent.

*Whoosh!*With a golden flash, it returned to Ye Fan's palm. Many gasped in surprise; it was simply too fast, some of the elders hadn't even had time to act.

*Crack!*This small creature was tiny, only half a foot long, yet it bit off a fist-sized piece of the divine source."I..." Ye Fan's face changed immediately. He wanted to snatch it away, but the little thing swallowed it in one gulp, giving him no time at all.Its small body didn't swell; there was no change at all. It remained as exquisite, enveloped in a hazy golden light."I'm crying! Fifty thousand jin of source gone in one bite!" Li Heishui cried out with a wide-open mouth.Ye Fan quickly shook his hand, wanting to shake the little thing off, but its reaction was incredibly fast. With another bite, *crack!* another fist-sized piece of divine source was gone."One hundred thousand jin of source gone!"Ye Fan's lips twitched. This time, he finally shook off the small creature and quickly put the divine source away."It's outrageous! One hundred thousand jin of source eaten in the blink of an eye!" Li Heishui's heart was bleeding; he felt pangs of pain and wailed.From afar, everyone else was dumbfounded. This little thing was too extravagant; right after emerging, it bit off one hundred thousand jin of source in two mouthfuls.Two-fifths of this divine source had been eaten by it; one could say it was utterly extravagant.

Ye Fan flipped his hand and reached for the small creature, wanting to restrain it and seize it.However, this little thing was simply too fast. With a golden flash, it instantly darted into mid-air."You prodigal! That's divine source! How could you do this?!" Li Heishui yelled at the sky.From a distance, a noisy clamor erupted, everyone surprised and discussing.Ye Fan also had black lines appearing on his forehead. It was truly not worth it; losing so much divine source to this small creature instantly made him feel pangs of heartache.But at this moment, the little creature in mid-air displayed an extremely human-like expression. It actually looked very wronged, its large eyes teary, pitifully staring at Ye Fan's hand, as if searching for that divine source.It was practically saying, "That divine source is mine."Its current appearance truly made it impossible to harbor any killing intent, only pity and sympathy, especially its large eyes, which had an immense appeal to women.

"You ate one hundred thousand jin of my source, don't look at me like that, okay?" Ye Fan said, taking out a bean-sized piece of divine source and beckoning it, trying to lure it down and catch it.Unexpectedly, the little creature puffed up with anger, its bright, expressive eyes widened, and it clenched a small paw into a fist, vigorously waving it downwards.Everyone was dumbfounded. This small creature was truly human-like and could understand human words.Ye Fan quickly reached out, grasping towards the sky, wanting to catch it.

*Whoosh!*With a golden flash, it began to flee, flying into the distance.At the same time, other elders also made their move, preparing to capture it alive.What exactly was this? Everyone wanted to know, wanted to understand. Only by catching it could they find out.With so many people making a move, even if this small creature was incredibly fast, it couldn't possibly evade them all. It seemed extremely panicked, its large eyes filled with fear. To escape, it fled haphazardly, *whoosh!* flying downwards.

"Oh no..."The little nun in white, the loli, cried out in surprise, because in its panic, the small creature bumped into her shoulder.It was a very special scene: the golden small creature landed on the little nun's shoulder, one small paw clutching a lock of her hair, an expression of timid shyness on its face.And the little nun was also startled, looking scared.Both pairs of large eyes were almost identical: one bright and timid, the other fluttering and scared, both looking pitiful.

"Quick, catch it!""Don't let it escape!""Little sister, quickly act!"Beside them, many people shouted.However, the little nun in white stared at the small thing on her shoulder, her large eyes blinking. Slowly, she no longer looked scared and did not act.The small creature also seemed to sense no danger. Emboldened, it shifted slightly and looked aggrievedly at the people around."Don't attack. This little creature isn't dangerous, it has no killing intent. It's different from typical ancient creatures," Ye Fan said.Although he said this, the golden small creature did not appreciate it. It puffed up when it looked at Ye Fan, extended a small paw to point at him in silent accusation, its large eyes teary.It looked, in every way, as if Ye Fan had committed a heinous crime, making it feel incredibly wronged.Ye Fan was speechless for a moment. After looking at it for a while, he said, "Don't stare at me like that. I'm the one who rescued you from the stone."

"Brother Gu, this little creature is fated with my little sister. You must sell it to us," Prince Daxia said, his voice full of earnestness.Ye Fan said nothing, unable to respond at the moment, because at that very instant, countless divine senses were sending him messages, all claiming they wanted to buy this golden creature."Quickly observe the surrounding stones, see which one shows an anomaly," Ye Fan whispered to Li Heishui."What are you doing?" Li Heishui asked, confused."I suspect the true Stone King hasn't been found yet," Ye Fan replied.

At this moment, everyone was pushing forward, wanting to get a close look at this small thing. All were eager to know what it was."What kind of creature is this?" many people questioned."Yes, it doesn't look like a true dragon, nor a flood dragon. Even its horns are fleshy, and those big eyes are too expressive."The guardian of the Ji family's stone garden, an old man with skin like white jade, walked forward, a solemn expression on his face, and said, "Could this be..."