Chapter 36: Ancient Sacred Body

Chapter 36: The Archaic Sacred Body

A dozen or so people entered the great hall, the rainbow glows on their bodies receding. These individuals, both men and women, were all over forty years old. Each possessed a unique demeanor: some were as serene as an orchid, others as sharp as a sword's edge, and still others as steady as bedrock.

One of the middle-aged men, with an imposing presence, spoke with resonant power and laughed heartily, saying, "Within the Yan territory, though it's claimed there are six 'Grotto-Heavens,' your 'Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven' doesn't quite live up to its name. 'Blessed Land' would be a more fitting title."

"Liu Wanshan, what do you mean?" Several elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven showed displeasure. They all stepped forward, shielding Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, and the others behind them, while specifically protecting Ye Fan and Pang Bo.

The middle-aged man called Liu Wanshan, true to his name, stood like a mountain, exuding an oppressive aura. He spoke very directly, laughing loudly, "Since there are a dozen or so talented cultivation prospects, we naturally want to take a few and guide them onto the path of cultivation."

Beside him, a white-haired old woman also nodded, saying, "Indeed. The six Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands within Yan territory have always been closely connected. Having suddenly found so many exceptionally talented prospects, we naturally must take a few."

An elder from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven frowned. "Senior Sister Li Ying, you can't say that. Three years ago, your 'Golden Haze Grotto-Heaven' found several disciples with excellent bone structures, but you didn't send a single one to our Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven."

"Those people had mediocre aptitude. How could they be considered immortal sprouts? Naturally, we didn't alert you," the white-haired old woman replied with a smile.

Just then, a white-haired old man with flowing hair, looking quite like an immortal, stepped forward. He said unhurriedly, "I don't think these dozen or so can be called immortal sprouts yet. How about this, our Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands will only choose a few and leave more for your 'Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven'."

The elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven immediately lost their composure. They seemed wary of this immortal-like elder, saying, "Senior Brother Ma Yun, does your 'Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven' still lack potential disciples? I heard you discovered two true immortal sprouts!"

The elder called Ma Yun smiled but said nothing. He continuously observed Ye Fan and Pang Bo, nodding occasionally. This made the elders of the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven instantly nervous. While others could be given away, these two were indispensable to them.

"How about this, on behalf of the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven, I'll only choose one person," said the white-haired, white-bearded Ma Yun, pointing at Ye Fan and Pang Bo. "I won't be excessive; you can give either of them to me."

"No!" The elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven almost simultaneously refused.

At the same time, other Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands also began selecting people, refusing to yield, and started arguing on the spot. Ye Fan listened carefully and gathered much information: that "Grotto-Heavens" surpassed "Blessed Lands," were more suitable for cultivation, and that a Grotto-Heaven might naturally give rise to a Blessed Land.

At this moment, it was impossible for the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven to keep everyone. With people from the other five Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands all present, they could only painfully give up some. However, the choice of whom to keep and whom to give up was a dilemma. In the end, the atmosphere became extremely tense, as if swords were drawn, and no one from the six Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands would yield.

The imposing middle-aged man, Liu Wanshan, who stood like a mountain, stepped forward a few paces and said, "It seems we can only settle this with a contest."

"That's exactly right," the old woman Li Ying from the Golden Haze Grotto-Heaven nodded in agreement.

"To keep the peace, we'll stop before causing serious harm," the white-haired, white-bearded elder Ma Yun from the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven also expressed his agreement.

The elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven looked very displeased. Ye Fan and the others were found by them, yet people from other Grotto-Heavens wanted to interfere. In the end, it was hard to say how many they would be able to keep.

A dozen or so long rainbows shot into the sky, shining exceptionally brightly in the night. The contest between the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands had begun. Ye Fan and the others all came outside the hall, looking up, but unfortunately, the combatants flew out of the small town, fighting farther and farther away, making it impossible to see clearly.

Distant rays of light shot into the heavens, divine rainbows crisscrossed, occasionally erupting with peals of thunder, while fierce winds raged, sending sand and stones flying.

Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, and the others were dazzled and captivated. Just moments ago, those elders seemed peaceful, but now they were flying through the sky and burrowing into the earth, creating such powerful might. It truly made them yearn for such power.

Before long, the divine rainbows in the distant sky vanished; no one knew where the fierce battle had gone.

Not until half an hour later did a divine rainbow appear in the sky, streaking across and arriving instantly.

The first to descend was the young woman named Weiwei. She was exquisitely graceful and ethereal. Her delicate eyebrows curved, her eyes were like water, her lips were moist and red, and her teeth were like jade. Under the flowing moonlight, she appeared indistinct and gracefully swaying, like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal world, beautiful to the extreme.

Following her descent were the other elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven. Although they looked quite disheveled and even had specks of blood on their bodies, they all wore victorious smiles.

Those behind them also bore some injuries, more or less, but their expressions were not as pleasant in comparison. The imposing middle-aged man Liu Wanshan still had fresh blood on his shoulder, the immortal-like elder Ma Yun's flowing white beard had been severed, and the white-haired old woman Li Ying's staff was broken into two pieces.

"Who would have thought! Weiwei has already surpassed us at this age. The Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven has produced an unparalleled genius!" Ma Yun exclaimed.

Ye Fan and the others were all surprised. This young woman Weiwei, who appeared to walk with delicate steps, graceful and lithe, with a gentle and serene demeanor, was actually so powerful, having defeated these elders, which was truly astonishing.

"Since we've lost, there's nothing more to say. Your Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven can choose two people first." Liu Wanshan's expression was not good; he not only felt humiliated by losing to a junior but also because he couldn't choose first.

The elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven didn't hesitate. They immediately chose Ye Fan and Pang Bo, their faces beaming with joy. Next, elder Ma Yun from the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven chose Liu Yiyi. Then, the old woman Li Ying from the Golden Haze Grotto-Heaven stepped forward and chose Zhang Ziling.

However, just then, on the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven's side, several elders changed their expressions after carefully examining Ye Fan's body. The smiles instantly vanished from their faces.

"How can this be?!"

Others quickly noticed the situation and instantly looked over. Seeing the displeased expressions of the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven elders, they didn't know what had happened.

"What's wrong? Are you still not satisfied even though your Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven got to choose two people first?"

"It's not that. Come and see for yourselves," the elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven said, looking at Ye Fan with regret.

Everyone else instantly understood that there must be something wrong with Ye Fan's body. In an instant, they all gathered around.

Elder Ma Yun from the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven was the first to step forward and say, "Just by looking, one can perceive that this young man's vital energy and blood are extraordinarily vigorous, comparable to a dragon-elephant. He should be a rare immortal sprout. Is there a problem?"

At this moment, others also came closer and began examining Ye Fan one after another. Being touched and prodded, Ye Fan felt quite uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop them in this situation.

The old woman Li Ying from the Golden Haze Grotto-Heaven looked surprised and uncertain, saying, "How could such a physique exist?!"

After Liu Wanshan examined him for a long time, he revealed an incredulous expression, saying, "His Divine Wheel of Life is silent. His Sea of Bitterness is as hard as divine iron, as steady as bedrock, unshakable. It simply cannot be opened up..."

"What's going on?!" Everyone showed expressions of confusion. This physique was too bizarre and defied common sense.

Just then, Ma Yun from the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven seemed to suddenly recall something, muttering to himself, "Could it be... that legendary physique?" He began to re-examine Ye Fan's body. His fingers were clear as jade, with tiny specks of divine light spilling out, as he continuously touched and pressed, seriously "measuring bones" and "assessing spirit."

It was a long time before Ma Yun stopped, stunned, and said, "This world actually has that legendary physique..."

"What physique?" Everyone present showed curious expressions.

"Unrivaled through the ages, a world-shaking Sacred Body," Ma Yun uttered these words.

"What?!" Everyone present showed shocked expressions, almost unable to believe their ears.

The elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven reacted quickly. They immediately pulled Ye Fan behind them, several of them surrounding him in the center, protecting him closely, for fear that others might try to snatch or assassinate him.

Liu Wanshan found it hard to believe, saying, "Yan territory, stretching two thousand li north-south and three thousand li east-west, is but a drop in the ocean compared to the boundless Eastern Wasteland. On this land, it would be difficult for a person with a world-shaking Sacred Body to appear even over thousands of years. One must know that since ancient times, the entire vast Eastern Wasteland has not seen many such individuals."

The old woman Li Ying from the Golden Haze Grotto-Heaven, however, shook her head, saying, "It's not impossible for one to appear. I heard that such a person might have already appeared in the Eastern Wasteland now, and there are rumors that it's not just one person. However, they are still growing and have not yet appeared before the world. I believe they must be hidden away in some sacred land or ancient family that has inherited from the archaic era."

At this moment, the gazes of these elders towards Ye Fan all changed. All were fervent, as if they wanted to snatch him up and take him as their disciple. Even Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, and the others nearby showed strange expressions when they looked at Ye Fan.

But just then, Ma Yun from the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven coughed and said, "I think... you've misunderstood. Perhaps I wasn't clear."

"Oh?"

"What's going on?"

Everyone looked at him with surprise and uncertainty.

"He indeed possesses a world-shaking Sacred Body, no mistake," Ma Yun explained. "But there's a time limit to it; it belongs to the pre-Archaic era."

"What do you mean?"

Ma Yun explained, "You must have all heard some legends of the Archaic era, right? At that time, there was a supreme physique, peerless through the ages. In that period, nine generations of individuals with this physique appeared consecutively. Each of them was unrivaled under heaven, shaking the past and present. If a person with that physique embarked on the path of cultivation, their ultimate achievements would be unfathomable. It was hailed as the foremost Sacred Body of all time."

"Yes, we've naturally heard of it. You're not saying..." At this point, everyone looked at Ye Fan, but their expressions were no longer of awe and fervor; only disappointment was in their eyes.

"If I'm not mistaken, he has that physique. What a pity. Since the Archaic era, throughout endless ages, although this physique has occasionally appeared in the world, it no longer possesses its former might and cannot proudly look down upon all heavens as it did before the Archaic era."

In fact, for some unknown reason, this physique gradually became ordinary among all beings in the post-Archaic era. It was no longer suitable for cultivation at all, and no one had ever succeeded in cultivating with it again.

"Now, many immortal sects are spreading rumors that immortal sprouts with supreme divine bodies have appeared in the Eastern Wasteland. Just now, I thought that an earth-shattering figure would also appear within our Yan territory. Who would have thought it would turn out like this..."

"A world-shaking Sacred Body from before the Archaic era, compared to the invincible divine bodies of today... Alas!" All the elders from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven sighed, profoundly disappointed, and no longer paid attention to Ye Fan.

People from the other Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands also had complex expressions, unsure whether they should feel fortunate or disappointed.

At this moment, everyone stopped looking at Ye Fan. The shift from fervent enthusiasm to cold indifference was stark and evident.