Chapter 58: Gold Book Town's Sea of Bitterness

Chapter 58: Golden Tome Suppresses the Sea of Bitterness

Ye Fan's heart pounded faster and faster, purely from excitement. He immediately thought of the Dao Scripture, which the Master of Lingxu Cave Heaven and several great demons had fought to the death over, along with another priceless treasure of the Eastern Badlands.

This golden page was incredibly mysterious, appearing as if condensed from the essence of rainbow light. It shimmered brilliantly, making it hard to open one's eyes, and felt surprisingly heavy in his hand, many times heavier than metal.

"Just one page, but it must contain tens of thousands of characters..." Ye Fan squinted, carefully examining the dazzling golden page in his hand. Yet, even with full concentration, he could only make out blurry outlines. The inscribed characters were too tiny. Both sides were covered densely with words, each one like a star, radiating divine light that was incredibly blinding.

Ye Fan's heart was far from calm. If he wasn't mistaken, this was undoubtedly the Dao Scripture, the very thing he yearned for most. To obtain it so unexpectedly felt unreal. He gripped the brilliant golden page tightly, and it took a long time for him to compose himself. At that moment, he recalled Pang Bo, whose face had been tinged with a greenish hue. The glance Pang Bo had cast his way when flinging the corpses over seemed to hold a deeper meaning.

"Did he throw it deliberately?" This possibility immediately crossed Ye Fan's mind. However, the unknown entity possessing Pang Bo's body couldn't be so benevolent; why would it simply help him for no reason?

"It was... Pang Bo!" Ye Fan quickly considered another possibility.

Pang Bo had been constantly fighting for control of his body. Perhaps, in that instant, he had temporarily gained dominance. But after thinking this, Ye Fan shook his head. The possibility was minuscule; at best, Pang Bo could only interfere with the unknown entity, likely unable to gain the upper hand.

"In such a life-and-death struggle, any interference could be fatal..." Ye Fan pondered for a moment, concluding that the unknown entity and Pang Bo might have compromised, temporarily reaching an agreement to secretly pass the golden Dao Scripture out.

The more Ye Fan thought about it, the more he believed Pang Bo had helped him by sending the Dao Scripture out. He murmured to himself, "Pang Bo must not be harmed..."

Remembering the demonic script that had appeared on Pang Bo's face, Ye Fan's heart sank. The unknown entity was likely a demon, but clearly different from the other great demons. It wasn't interested in the human Dao Scripture, probably aiming to contend for the relics of a Demon Emperor.

Ye Fan calmed himself and meticulously searched the other corpses, but found nothing else. There was only the single golden page, radiant and heavy, making him feel as though he held a treasure vault, exerting a heavy pressure. In fact, this golden tome was more precious than any other treasure.

Ye Fan wanted to see clearly. He focused his mind, connected with his golden Sea of Bitterness, and strained his eyesight to discern what the golden tome contained. Fine strands of golden light rose from his Sea of Bitterness, flowing up his body and concentrating in his eyes, causing tiny golden glints to flash in his pupils.

"Wheel-Sea Volume!"

At the beginning of this golden tome, three larger ancient characters were clearly visible, like three bright moons fixed in place, radiating pure light and shimmering. Looking further down, the characters became much smaller, barely discernible, yet they caused a stinging pain in his eyes. The ancient words emitted divine light that shot out like golden needles. The more he tried to look, the less he could see, and his eyes swelled with excruciating pain.

In just an instant, Ye Fan's eyes turned bloodshot, incredibly sore, and tears streamed down involuntarily. He quickly averted his gaze, and the golden glints in his pupils faded. It took a quarter of an hour for his vision to recover. This greatly surprised him; normally, though he couldn't discern the ancient characters, it didn't cause his eyes to sting. Yet, by concentrating faint divine power in his eyes to stare at this Dao Scripture page, he had nearly damaged his pupils, which was astonishing.

"This page of the Dao Scripture is truly extraordinary..."

Ye Fan was not deterred. After resting for a while, he again focused his mind, connected with his Sea of Bitterness, and strained his eyesight as much as possible. This time, however, he didn't look at the beginning, but directly at the last few characters on the reverse side.

"Wheel-Sea Volume Complete!"

The last four ancient characters, like the three at the beginning, were noticeably larger and easy to read, resembling a bright moon rising from the sea, casting shimmering light.

Similarly, apart from these four characters, all other words on the reverse side were illegible. Each tiny ancient character was like a miniature sun, dazzling and brilliant, with streaks of divine light shooting out like golden needles, stinging his pupils and causing a burning discomfort.

Ye Fan quickly averted his gaze. His heart pounded fiercely; he was now almost certain that this golden tome was the most crucial introductory volume of the Dao Scripture!

The so-called Wheel-Sea, without a doubt, referred to the Wheel of Life and the Sea of Bitterness—the wellsprings where divine power flowed, and the very foundation of cultivation. No wonder the Master of Lingxu Cave Heaven said this was the most important volume of the Dao Scripture, for it was the initial, first volume of this immortal classic, the cornerstone of a towering edifice.

Elder Wu Qingfeng of Lingxu Cave Heaven once stated that if a cultivator refined their Wheel of Life and Sea of Bitterness to their utmost, they would benefit for life and become a peak expert. This underscored the importance of the Wheel-Sea Volume.

Lingxu Cave Heaven only possessed a single passage from this volume, a mere fragment of a fragment, accounting for less than ten percent. It served only to help nascent cultivators connect with the Sea of Bitterness, offering no subsequent methods—a fact that had always been a source of regret for Ye Fan. Now, obtaining the complete Wheel-Sea Volume of the Dao Scripture filled him with overwhelming joy. It was enough to benefit him for life, representing a complete cultivation system that he could follow indefinitely.

Ye Fan carefully put away the golden tome. He knew it was absolutely crucial not to reveal its existence, or he would surely meet a terrible end. Even if the Master of Lingxu Cave Heaven acquired it, he would immediately have to seek protection from the holy land behind them, or risk the destruction of his sect. Such a volume of the Dao Scripture was a priceless treasure, yet also like a perpetually active volcano, where immense benefits coexisted with the threat of utter destruction.

Obtaining a single golden page was already a huge surprise, more than enough. Ye Fan didn't want to linger there; he lacked the strength to contend for anything, and his best course of action was to leave far away.

He quickly rushed down the mountain, activating the profound techniques recorded in the Dao Scripture. Golden threads immediately overflowed from his Sea of Bitterness, flowing throughout his limbs and bones. His entire body—flesh and skeleton—was nourished, instantly increasing his speed manyfold.

Just then, Ye Fan felt a peculiar change: the golden page in his embrace seemed to be vibrating. At first, he paid it no mind, until he suddenly felt a chill throughout his body, and it seemed the golden page had come into contact with his skin.

"What's happening...?" He hadn't placed it close to his skin, but he quickly stopped to check. To Ye Fan's astonishment, his embrace was empty; the Dao Scripture page had vanished.

"How is this possible?!" Ye Fan could barely believe what had happened. Even if the Master of Lingxu Cave Heaven had acted, it wouldn't have been so silent. How could it just disappear without a trace?

At the same time, he felt the essence of life within him boiling, and the profound techniques recorded in the Dao Scripture began to operate on their own, uncontrollably, causing his Sea of Bitterness to shine with brilliant golden light.

"Huh!"

Ye Fan was extremely surprised. At that very moment, he felt something unusual in his Sea of Bitterness, as if something had been added. He quickly looked inward. The sight left him dumbfounded: within the pea-sized golden Sea of Bitterness, a golden tome had appeared!

The golden page had shrunk and mysteriously appeared within that speck of golden Sea of Bitterness. This outcome left Ye Fan stunned for a long time, finding it utterly inconceivable.

The profound techniques recorded in the Dao Scripture stopped running, and everything became calm. However, within Ye Fan's golden Sea of Bitterness, there remained a miniature golden tome. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge it even an inch; it simply wouldn't come out.

Ye Fan stood dumbfounded, completely bewildered. He thought for a long time but couldn't understand why this had happened. However, neither his body nor his golden Sea of Bitterness felt any discomfort, which gave him a slight sense of relief.

After calming down, Ye Fan decided to leave and once again set off.

"Boom!"

Just then, a tremendous sound erupted from behind him. From afar, he saw the ancient palace in the sky shaking, emitting countless rays of shimmering light that swept away all the surrounding super fierce birds, beasts, and Lingxu Cave Heaven elders.

"No, I can't leave!" Ye Fan simply couldn't bring himself to abandon Pang Bo, even though he knew staying was useless and he couldn't help at all. Yet, he couldn't overcome the hurdle in his heart; without seeing Pang Bo escape unharmed with his own eyes, he couldn't rest easy, and he couldn't leave.

Of course, he wouldn't act rashly. This time, he chose a more distant peak to observe from afar.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Just then, from the distant horizon, piercing sounds split the air, as dozens of divine rainbows flew towards them.

"Rumble!"

Following that, like thousands of troops thundering forward, roars of savage beasts echoed from behind the dozens of divine rainbows. Mist swirled, and clouds obscured the sky. Dozens of savage beasts, riding on clouds and mist, approached, each carrying a cultivator on its back. Although they moved through the sky, their passage created a thunderous sound, as if tens of thousands of soldiers were charging forth.

These savage beasts were all exotic species from the ancient past, covered in menacing scales and incredibly fierce. The cultivator riding the central beast held a large banner that flapped violently in the wind, exuding overwhelming power. Four large characters were inscribed upon it: "Shaking Light Holy Land!"