Chapter 79: Carving the Dao Pattern

"Where did the herb collector who first discovered the 'source' in the ancient cave in the deep mountains go?" Ye Fan asked.

Ancient records indicated that a 'source' location could usually yield several 'sources', or even more. If that ancient cave could be found, there might be other discoveries.

Old Uncle Jiang sighed and said, "After he returned to town, he sold that 'source' to the Li family. He disappeared less than a day later. Many people suspect the Li family didn't want to pay and secretly committed heinous acts."

Ye Fan immediately understood. The Li family must have silenced him. 'Sources' were extremely important to cultivators, and they wouldn't allow someone to talk freely about such a find.

"Looks like a bit of trouble..."

"Big brother, if there's any trouble, Tingting can help you," Little Tingting said innocently, tilting her head and blinking her bright eyes.

Ye Fan smiled, gently flicking her delicate little nose, and said, "Tingting is so sweet..."

After breakfast, Ye Fan left the small restaurant and walked a wide circle around the Li family compound. Inside, walls were broken and ruined, and over thirty rooms had burned down.

Just then, roars of beasts echoed from outside the town. Soon, dust billowed, and a tall mount galloped into the town. It resembled a horse but was covered in green scales, moving incredibly fast, arriving at the Li family's gate in the blink of an eye.

"Dragon-Scaled Horse!" Ye Fan's heart jolted. He knew this exotic beast: covered in green scales, horse-like in shape, incredibly powerful, and many times faster than an ordinary horse. It could travel four to five thousand *li* in a day without issues, tireless and requiring no rest stops.

Mortals could hardly possess such a beast, and even cultivators in the Bitter Sea realm found it difficult to tame. Dragon-Scaled Horses were remarkably strong; typically, cultivators in the Life Spring realm would subdue them and then bestow them upon younger disciples who could not yet fly on divine rainbows.

The Dragon-Scaled Horse's green scales shimmered as it shook its head, wagged its tail, and neighed towards the sky, looking remarkably spirited. Seated on its saddle was a young man, twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a fair complexion, thin lips, and somewhat cold eyes.

The Li family was instantly alerted. The gate was opened, and someone shouted, running inside to deliver the news: "Young Master has returned..."

Ye Fan felt a sense of relief. He figured the Li family's cultivator was most likely only at the Bitter Sea realm; otherwise, he would have flown back directly on a divine rainbow.

"I'll definitely claim this 'source'!"

It wasn't the right time to act. Soon after, Ye Fan entered the deep mountains. This time, as he inwardly observed the golden book in his Bitter Sea, he noticed the opening characters were even more blurred, seeming as if they were truly about to vanish completely.

"Why is this happening?" Ye Fan pondered this question, muttering to himself, "Fortunately, I've already fully comprehended the disappearing parts."

He then continued to study the Dao Scripture, gaining different insights each time. After a long while, he stopped and began to temper the "cauldron" above his Bitter Sea.

The nineteen "divine patterns" were fused together, resembling a lump of divine iron, glowing brilliantly. Despite Ye Fan's repeated tempering, it stubbornly refused to form into a cauldron.

During this time, Ye Fan had attempted to forge a flying sword. Although not entirely successful, it had taken on the rough shape of a sword embryo. He believed that with continued slow tempering, it would eventually succeed.

"Why is forging a cauldron so difficult?"

Ye Fan melted down the golden sword embryo and began forging the cauldron again. However, attempt after attempt failed; he could only temper it into a shapeless mass, always unable to form it, not even into a rough mold.

"At this rate, when will I ever be able to forge a cauldron imbued with Dao rhythm? If I waste my years like this, it will truly be a futile effort."

The process of tempering the cauldron not only required activating his life essence but also intense concentration of his spiritual consciousness. Eventually, Ye Fan's mind was exhausted, and he had to stop.

Above the Bitter Sea, the pea-sized "lump of divine iron" glowed brilliantly, yet remained stubbornly formless despite hundreds of temperings.

"Such a piece of 'divine iron' is already considered a semi-finished artifact. I wonder if it could control a weapon like the Azure Wood Treasure Seal."

Ye Fan regretted that he had no treasures and wondered if he could now "control objects" to some extent; otherwise, he really wanted to try. Suddenly, he saw the golden book pushed to the edge of his Bitter Sea by the green bronze. His heart stirred, and he thought, "Let's try to control it."

The pea-sized "lump of divine iron" rapidly sank into the Bitter Sea, instantly melting into the golden book. With a thought from Ye Fan, a blazing golden light shot out from his body, streaking across the sky like a bolt of lightning.

The brilliant light flashed past, unimpeded by several ancient trees and two huge rocks. Ye Fan walked forward and gently pushed. A towering ancient tree immediately toppled, its severed section remarkably smooth. The giant tree hadn't moved an inch when the golden light passed, but it had already been cleanly cut.

Ye Fan was truly astonished; several ancient trees had met the same fate. And the two huge rocks, with a single push, instantly split into two halves, having already been neatly sliced through.

The golden book flew out more than ten meters, hovering in mid-air like a golden sun. With a thought from Ye Fan, it flashed golden and instantly flew back, returning to his Bitter Sea.

"Truly sharp..." Ye Fan was extremely surprised. He had only tried it out of curiosity, not expecting to actually project the golden book, let alone for its edge to be so incredibly keen.

"This golden page not only records the Dao Scripture, but can it also be used as a weapon?" With this thought, he began experimenting again, the golden light like a rainbow, continuously streaking across the void like lightning.

Ye Fan discovered that he could only project the golden book about ten meters; beyond that range, it became difficult to control.

"The Dao Scripture is one of the most mysterious ancient texts in the Eastern Wasteland. This golden page must be extraordinary. I now have a weapon, powerful and undoubtedly formidable against enemies." Ye Fan's confidence grew.

"If even a single page is like this, then that piece of green bronze must be even more terrifying. It should be a true weapon, but I wonder about its power..." Thinking of this, Ye Fan's heart became restless. He inwardly observed his Bitter Sea, wanting to control the green bronze.

However, in the center of the golden Bitter Sea, the green bronze remained silent and still, like an unmoving boulder.

"I feel like I'm trying to push a giant mountain." Ye Fan was drenched in sweat and exhausted, utterly unable to move the green bronze even slightly. The center of his Bitter Sea was enveloped in an ancient, desolate aura, along with an immense pressure.

"No wonder it forced the Dao Scripture to the very edge. This piece of green bronze is too mysterious and extraordinary. It's like facing an immeasurable ocean and the boundless stars of ancient times—vast, endless, and imposing like the heavens."

The green bronze was certainly not whole; it looked very much like a fragment broken off from some artifact. If even a shard was like this, one could imagine how terrifying the complete artifact must be.

"Unfathomable, utterly immeasurable!" Ye Fan's heart was filled with shock. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying and astonished he felt, muttering to himself, "What does its complete form look like..."

Just then, his eyes suddenly brightened. He saw the "Dao patterns" on the green bronze, those intricate lines possessing an indescribable Dao rhythm.

"Since I can't move the green bronze, I'll first copy its 'Dao patterns'!"

The surface of the mysterious green bronze had no "Dao patterns"; only at its broken edge were they densely packed, intricate, profound, and unfathomable. They were impossible to comprehend, yet they conveyed a feeling of natural Dao and the unity of heaven and earth in primordial chaos, deeply moving anyone who saw them.

Ye Fan had not yet reached the realm where he could thoroughly study "Dao patterns." What he intended to do was repeatedly melt and temper the "lump of divine iron"—which he couldn't form into a "cauldron"—against the broken edge of the green bronze, to copy all the mysterious "Dao patterns" onto it.

"These dense, mysterious Dao patterns must have an extraordinary origin. It's very possible they are the legendary innate 'textures,' unique in existence."

After a brief rest, Ye Fan began to melt the "lump of divine iron." He liquefied it, then applied it to the green bronze, constantly hammering it, just like a mortal blacksmith working iron. He repeatedly pounded it, imprinting numerous dense patterns onto its surface.

He continuously refined and copied until he felt that this "lump of divine iron" seemed to gradually acquire an inexplicable charm. However, when he carefully sensed it, he found it was still as ordinary as before, with no real change; the so-called Dao rhythm was non-existent.

"Was it an illusion?" Ye Fan muttered to himself.

In the following period, he continuously melted the "lump of divine iron," repeatedly refining it and carving the Dao patterns from the green bronze onto it, both inside and out, a true process of continuous tempering.

"It seems to have condensed quite a bit compared to before. Whether it's an illusion or not, carving the green bronze's Dao patterns can only be beneficial, not harmful."

Finally, Ye Fan began to forge the "cauldron" again, wanting to see if the "lump of divine iron" had truly changed after having the Dao patterns copied onto it.

Above his Bitter Sea, the "lump of divine iron" continuously deformed, its edges gradually rounding, its luster becoming less pronounced, and it gained a more solid feel.

Ultimately, although he still hadn't forged even a rough mold, Ye Fan felt greatly encouraged. He sensed an anomaly; during the process of tempering the "lump of divine iron," he had discovered a profound sensation.

"The Dao patterns on the green bronze are indeed mysterious. From now on, I must repeatedly melt and copy them every day. Successfully forging the 'cauldron' is only a matter of time."