Ch. 185 - Imperial Jade

Ye Fan had no choice but to become a Celestial Source Master. If he didn’t want his own face to turn green with envy, he’d have to make others’ faces green instead. Becoming a Celestial Source Master would make the Celestial City, tens of thousands of miles away, his paradise.

“Brother Ye, if you really win a saintess, can you win a wife for me too?” Er Lengzi asked innocently.

Ye Fan laughed. “No problem.”

“If I can win a saintess, getting you a fairy wife won’t be an issue,” Wang Shu teased Er Lengzi.

“In the stone village, besides Fifth Master Zhang, who else knows a lot about source?” Ye Fan wanted to start from the basics, knowing that becoming a Celestial Source Master wouldn’t be easy.

“Many elders know a bit, but only Fifth Master Zhang is truly skilled,” Wang Shu replied.

Ye Fan nodded. In his few days at the stone village, his understanding of source had grown significantly, and he needed to keep learning.

That afternoon, shouts and horse whinnies erupted outside the village, sending the villagers into a panic.

“Big Beard Chen is here with a dozen men to wipe out our village!”

“Hide! The bandits are coming, armed to the teeth, ready to slaughter us!”

Many young men organized the elderly and children to hide, then grabbed sharp knives and rushed to the village gate.

“Those damned bandits only bully the weak. Why don’t they rob sects? Cowards!”

“They’re backed by those sects, colluding and scheming together.”

The village’s young men were fierce, showing no fear as they prepared to fight. “Don’t fight to the death today, stay calm,” Fifth Master Zhang and other elders scolded the hot-blooded youths.

Outside the village, dust rose as dozens of riders approached swiftly, their shouts and horses’ whinnies carrying waves of killing intent.

All rode Dragon Scale Horses, their azure scales glinting menacingly. These were ruthless killers, far more savage than ordinary bandits, reeking of blood.

In the past few days, Ye Fan had killed some bandits within a hundred-mile radius but hadn’t found this group. Now, they’d come to him.

At the center, atop a Dragon Scale Horse, sat a forty-year-old man with a bushy beard, his curly whiskers like a lion’s mane, exuding ferocity.

“Stone village, get out here!” several bandits shouted. “You dare face us with knives? Tired of living?” Many bandits glared menacingly.

Fifth Master Zhang stepped forward from the village. “Please, sirs, calm down. In the Northern Region, every man carries a blade, it’s our way.”

A bandit sneered, “Enough nonsense. Have you prepared the source? Don’t tell me it’s not enough or you need more time, we’re not patient.”

“If you don’t hand it over today, your village will be history. We’ll raze it to the ground and paint it with blood,” the bandits roared, their killing intent surging.

Fifth Master Zhang knew these were executioners, not bluffing. He opened a bag of source, its radiant glow instantly drawing the bandits’ eyes.

“Not bad, decent quality. Old man Zhang, you’ve got some skill to gather this so quickly,” Big Beard Chen said, leading his dozens of bandits forward.

“We wouldn’t dare defy your orders, sirs,” Fifth Master Zhang said, cupping his hands.

The source, just over five pounds, shimmered with colors and spiritforce. It was Ye Fan’s, exactly the amount demanded. He didn’t want to fight in the village, suspecting these bandits were backed by a sect. Killing them here might bring trouble to the village, so he had Fifth Master Zhang hand over the source first.

Big Beard Chen snatched the bag, laughing loudly, his voice like a grating drum. “Not bad, just over five pounds. You’re lucky, this village is spared.” He tapped Fifth Master Zhang’s head with his whip. “I’ve heard you’ve got sharp eyes, old man. You won’t live much longer, so keep mining source for us in this region…”

At that moment, Er Lengzi, eyes bloodshot, rushed forward. “Big Beard Chen, where’s my sister? Give her back! Please!”

A bandit beside Chen laughed crudely. “That girl we took a month ago? She was sweet, but too bad she jumped in the river half a month ago.”

“I’ll kill you!” Er Lengzi wailed, tears streaming. Though simple-minded, he was strong, and it took four or five youths to hold him back.

“You dare challenge us, fool?” Several bandits’ eyes gleamed with malice. “Keep it up, and we’ll wipe out your village!” These were ruthless killers, capable of anything.

“Sister…” Er Lengzi sobbed, his cries heart-wrenching, veins bulging as he struggled.

An elder from the village tapped Er Lengzi, immobilizing him. The other youths gripped their knife handles, itching to charge.

“Why bother with a fool?” a bandit sneered maliciously. “I remember he has a pretty little sister. Let’s take her this time.”

“Fool, go get your sister,” another bandit said, pointing his whip at Er Lengzi.

“Sirs, you can’t do this. We’ve paid the source, don’t harm our people,” Fifth Master Zhang pleaded.

“Old man, mind your business. We’ll deal with you later,” a bandit said, shoving him aside and whipping Er Lengzi.

“Get up, call your sister!” They released his restraint. “I’ll fight you!” Er Lengzi, lips bleeding, grabbed a knife, ready to charge. Other youths raised their blades, advancing.

“You peasants dare resist?” The bandits glared. One whipped Er Lengzi to the ground, spitting, “Fool, you want to die and drag your village with you?”

“Get your sister, or we’ll slaughter everyone here…”

These outlaws were savage and overbearing.

“Didn’t you hear me? Get her!” Another bandit whipped Er Lengzi again.

The village youths surged with rage, ready to act.

“Enough, no nonsense this time,” Big Beard Chen waved, fearing a revolt since he needed the village’s labor. He turned to Fifth Master Zhang. “Old man, you’re good at source mining. We need more, new task.”

“What task?”

“Five more pounds in twenty days.”

“What? We just paid!” Fifth Master Zhang stared.

Chen smirked falsely. “Last time, we swear. We need it now, but you’ll benefit later.”

“In such a short time, we can’t possibly find…”

“No more talk!” Chen’s face darkened, turning his horse to leave, his cold words lingering: “Fail to gather five pounds in half a month, and your village is done.”

“Old man, make use of your remaining years,” a bandit said, whipping Fifth Master Zhang and spitting before riding off.

“You got off easy, fool. Watch yourself next time,” another bandit said, whipping Er Lengzi before leaving.

“Those damned bastards!”

“Why don’t lightning strike these bloodsuckers?”

The villagers seethed, clenching their fists as they watched the bandits ride away.

Er Lengzi roared like a beast. Wang Shu held him tightly to stop him from chasing.

Ye Fan approached, patting Er Lengzi’s shoulder. “Come with me.”

Fifth Master Zhang and the others didn’t ask questions, they knew Ye Fan’s intent. Taking Er Lengzi was good; otherwise, the boy might lose his mind.

The dozens of bandits visited seven or eight small oases, collecting over ten pounds of source before galloping off.

Ye Fan followed with Er Lengzi, unhurried. The bandits were cautious, stopping often to avoid being tracked.

Surprisingly, their hideout was three hundred miles away, quiet to avoid attention, as they plundered far-off places.

“With this much source, the old man should break through,” Big Beard Chen said quietly to another bandit.

They entered a rocky forest with no vegetation, only a river running through. “We need to get this source to the old man fast…” Ye Fan was surprised to confirm a sect was backing them. “Is Sunset Cloud Sect well-known here?” he asked Er Lengzi.

“I’ve heard of it. My grandpa said Sunset Cloud Sect controls everything within five hundred miles,” Er Lengzi replied, glaring at the river in the rocky forest.

“You can’t bring her back. Let it go,” Ye Fan said, patting his shoulder. Probing with his divine sense, he found fifty-one bandits.

Big Beard Chen and another were at the Celestial Bridge Stage, with seven or eight at the Life Spring Stage, the rest at the lowest stage of the Oceanic Wheel Realm.

Ye Fan didn’t want any to escape. Following an ancient beast-skin scroll, he carved dao runes around the rocky forest, sealing it. “Go avenge your sister,” he said, leading Er Lengzi inside.

“Who are you?” a bandit shouted.

Pfft!

Ye Fan pointed, a golden light piercing the bandit’s forehead, the corpse collapsing instantly. “Who dares trespass our turf?” The bandits swarmed. “It’s that fool, delivering himself!”

“Wait, that’s not his sister, it’s a kid…” Unaware of the corpse nearby, they approached recklessly.

In the distance, Big Beard Chen sensed danger and tried to flee but was blocked by the dao runes. He shouted, “Kill them, brothers!”

“You look simple, but your sisters are beauties…” a bandit taunted. Er Lengzi’s eyes reddened with rage.

“Your sins end today,” Ye Fan said, pointing repeatedly. Corpses fell, each with a hole in their forehead. The bandits panicked, used to killing, they now faced fear.

Pfft! Pfft!

Ye Fan threw a stone spear, pinning five bandits to the ground, those responsible for Er Lengzi’s sister’s death.

He patted Er Lengzi’s shoulder, letting him take revenge to release his pent-up rage. The pinned bandits screamed as Er Lengzi, near madness, hacked and bit, covered in blood. “You scum think you’re above the law with a bit of power?”

“Who are you? Do you know who we are?” Big Beard Chen blustered, sensing doom.

“You’re just serving some old fool from Sunset Cloud Sect,” Ye Fan sneered. “I’ll deal with you now and take out that old man later to clean up this region. A Northern Region sect doing such heinous things is unforgivable.”

“Think twice before crossing Sunset Cloud Sect. You won’t survive here,” Chen roared, retreating.

“I won’t announce it to the world. Who else will know?” Ye Fan smirked. “I’m about to break through and need some whetstones. I don’t mind Sunset Cloud Sect coming for me.”

Swish!

A green light shot from the forest, aiming for Ye Fan’s neck, fast as lightning.

Clang!

Ye Fan flicked it away, shattering a crescent blade.

Boom!

He punched, shattering part of the forest.

A Celestial Bridge Stage bandit screamed, bones breaking as he rolled on the ground. “Your hands are stained with blood. Time to go,” Ye Fan said, firing golden lights like meteors.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Corpses fell endlessly. “Don’t kill me…” Big Beard Chen pleaded, weaker than the rest.

Ye Fan crippled his cultivation, tossing him to Er Lengzi. Er Lengzi had torn apart the pinned bandits, blood-soaked, sobbing, “Give me back my sister!” He seized Chen, biting ferociously.

Ye Fan wiped out the bandits and searched the forest, finding twenty pounds of source, proof of how many villages they’d ravaged.

He also found an ancient jade, half a palm in size, clearly a fragment. Holding it, he felt an ancient, desolate aura, oddly compelling. “A map?”

Ye Fan was surprised. The jade bore a map of mountains and veins, so old the marks were nearly worn away.

One character stunned him. Though faint, he discerned it: “Emperor.”

“Er Lengzi, don’t kill him yet, I have questions!” Ye Fan shouted. Big Beard Chen, bloodied but alive, was a wreck. “Where’d you get this jade?”

Terrified, Chen spilled everything. “We dug it from a source vein while mining.” He kowtowed, begging Er Lengzi and Ye Fan, “Spare me!”

“How could it be sealed in a source vein with a character on it?” Ye Fan pressed.

“I didn’t explain clearly. It was from a desolate mine, found while digging.”

“Where’s that mine?” Ye Fan demanded.

A desolate jade, especially with the “Emperor” character, sparked his imagination, especially with Purple Mountain, tied to a great emperor, nearby. He was set on finding the Celestial Source Tome. This jade fueled his speculations. “Don’t kill me. I’ll take you there,” Chen pleaded, grasping at survival.

Ye Fan kicked him away, probing his mind with powerful divine sense, accessing his memories effortlessly. This wretch had committed countless atrocities. Ye Fan found the information he needed.

The mine was two hundred miles away, not far.

“Go finish your revenge,” Ye Fan said, standing.

An hour later, Chen’s screams ceased. Er Lengzi wailed, jumping into the river, calling his sister’s name.

Ye Fan sighed. This was the brutal Northern Region, a paradise for crime. Without strength, tragedies were inevitable. “Let’s go.”

He had Er Lengzi wash in the river, tossed him clean clothes, erased all traces, and flew off with him.

Nearing the village, Ye Fan stared at the towering Purple Mountain, studying the ancient jade. Suddenly, another ridge caught his eye. “Here!” He flew higher, gazing out.

Around the massive Purple Mountain were nine ridges, so distant they were barely visible, like worms on the horizon. On a map, Purple Mountain would clearly sit at their center.

Ye Fan examined the jade. The fragmented map showed two of the region’s ridges.

“A complete jade map would include Purple Mountain. Those distant peaks are connected to it…”

His heart shook with realization.

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