Ch. 147 - Piercing The Heavens
Shrouded SkyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
The Bronze Immortal Palace was one of the greatest historical mysteries of the Eastern Wilderness. It was rumored to have been forged by immortals, but there was no way to verify its origins. It had appeared even before the Desolate Era, and no one truly knew where it came from.
Ye Fan decided to pierce the heavens and reveal this secret. His only goal was to create a chance to escape from this place.
He knew this revelation would trigger an earth-shattering storm across the land, but he no longer had the luxury of caution.
Ji Ziyue’s beautiful eyes widened as she tried to stop him via voice transmission, but it was already too late. Ye Fan ignored her and continued speaking on his own.
“You little brat, do you know what you’re doing? Do you understand the consequences of spreading this news? Didn’t we agree to keep it secret?”
Fuming, Ji Ziyue clenched her delicate fists, wanting to punch him.
Ye Fan spoke in great detail, even identifying the location, telling everyone it was near Supreme Mystery Sect and could be verified at any time. He had no choice; survival came first, and Ji Ziyue would have to understand.
“It’s real?” the Radiant Light Saintess stood up in shock, her flawless body glowing softly, like an immortal descending into the mortal world.
“You’re certain?!” Hua Yunfei could no longer maintain his usual serenity. He sprang to his feet, eyes locked on Ye Fan.
“Ziyue, is this true?” Ji Haoyue asked, fixing his gaze on his sister, he knew the two had been together this entire time.
No one fully believed Ye Fan’s claim, so they turned to Ji Ziyue. With no way to keep the secret anymore, she could only nod.
“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Ji Haoyue asked reproachfully.
“It’s not exactly good news. Every time the Bronze Immortal Palace appears, tons of people die. I thought it was better to keep it hidden and avoid bloodshed,” Ji Ziyue muttered quietly.
“Oh, and did I mention? There’s a lot of Black-Gold Dualforce there as well. Thick as clouds, heavy as mountains…” Ye Fan threw out another bombshell.
“What?! There's Motherly Energy of All Things there?!”
“That’s a sacred material for refining divine weapons!”
Everyone was stunned, their eyes lit up with excitement.
Black represents heavenly essence; Gold, the marrow of the earth. Together, Black-Gold Dualforce represents the primordial energy of heaven and earth.
“You’re certain?” Hua Yunfei asked seriously, drifting toward Ye Fan, all levity gone from his voice.
“Of course. I saw it with my own eyes,” Ye Fan confirmed confidently.
“Where is that lake?” the Radiant Light Saintess’ eyes sparkled.
Others gathered around too.
In the beginning of the world, its purest energies became Black-Gold Dualforce, a rare and nearly extinct treasure. It was beloved by supreme beings and considered the ultimate material for refining weapons.
While the Bronze Immortal Palace remained an ethereal legend, something they would have to report to their sects for higher authorities to investigate, the Motherly Energy of All Things was tangible. It could be collected and directly used.
All their gazes burned hot, each of them dreamed of forging a supreme weapon.
“You evil little thing, you’re trying to get people killed!” Ji Ziyue scolded Ye Fan through voice transmission. “You know the Motherly Energy has retreated into the palace, why would you still say that?!”
She had tried many times to collect it from that lake. While she’d harvested a good amount, eventually it all sank into the Bronze Palace and was no longer accessible.
Everyone quickly dispersed, rushing off to report to their sect elders. They had come with powerful seniors, and this news was simply too massive to ignore.
Even figures like Ji Haoyue, the Radiant Light Saintess, and Hua Yunfei didn’t dare make decisions on their own and left hastily.
Ji Ziyue’s sparkling eyes were full of suspicion. She grabbed Ye Fan’s arm, pouting like an angry fairy. “What exactly are you planning?!”
“Don’t be mad. Anger causes wrinkles,” Ye Fan teased, pinching her delicate nose.
“You’re way too bold today, brat!” she growled, baring her little tiger teeth, ready to give him a good thrashing.
“Take out your treasure now, it can collect the essence of the Motherly Energy,” Ye Fan whispered via voice transmission.
“What?!” Ji Ziyue blinked in surprise, eyes gleaming.
She had gathered some Motherly Energy before, but it was nothing compared to its essence, the root of the source, which alone could be used to forge a legendary ultimate weapon.
She had tried every trick, threats, bribes, sweet talk, but Ye Fan had refused to hand it over. Now, he was giving it to her willingly.
Ye Fan had come to appreciate Ji Ziyue. She might be mischievous, but her heart was good. She had protected him many times. As he prepared to leave, he felt a twinge of guilt and decided to gift her this cultivator’s treasure.
He couldn’t control the Motherly Energy, only store a small portion on his body. But Ji Ziyue had a secret artifact, enough to extract it from his hand.
“Wow! It’s really the essence of the Motherly Energy!” Ji Ziyue beamed, her eyes forming crescent moons. Dimples appeared as she smiled like a gleeful elf, jumping up and down with joy.
“Train hard, and surpass your brother…” Ye Fan ruffled her hair, then turned to leave. “I have things to do. I’m heading back to Dull Peak.”
Ji Ziyue was clever. She’d already sensed something was wrong. Revealing the Bronze Immortal Palace like that, she instantly connected the dots.
“Brat, don’t run…” She chased after him.
But Ye Fan had spent days studying the madman’s footwork. He couldn’t yet travel across mountains with a single step, but he was unimaginably fast. It was a supreme movement technique.
Despite her higher cultivation, Ji Ziyue couldn’t keep up, within moments, he vanished from her sight.
Ye Fan only faintly heard her cry out: “Brat! Don’t go…”
He sighed but didn’t look back. His strength was lacking, he had no choice but to flee.
As he passed by the area near Dull Peak, he saw Li Ruoyu standing on the mountaintop, gazing into the distance.
Ye Fan hesitated but then rose into the sky. He trusted this elder, who had helped him many times, he couldn’t leave without a word.
He landed on Dull Peak, gave a deep ceremonial bow, and then stood up straight.
“You’re leaving?” Li Ruoyu asked.
Ye Fan nodded.
“Then go. Everyone must walk their own path,” the elder replied simply. He was a sage of cultivation, deeply attuned to the Dao.
Ye Fan thought for a moment, then took out the Jade Purity Bottle, poured some divine spring water into a jade bowl, and offered it. “Thank you, senior. I take my leave.”
Then he stepped into the void, using the madman’s supreme movement technique, moving like a beam of light.
Besides Ji Ziyue and Li Ruoyu, one other person guessed that Ye Fan was leaving.
That person was Li Xiaoman. Having spent several years with him, she knew him best. The moment he mentioned the Bronze Immortal Palace, she guessed his motive. When she saw him disappear, she instantly understood, Ye Fan was fleeing.
Ye Fan didn’t stop for a second. His golden Bitter Sea boiled, thunder and lightning crackling. He activated all his strength and left Supreme Mystery behind as fast as he could.
As for the madman, Ye Fan didn’t worry. At such a level of strength, not even slumbering, few in the world could harm him.
A few days later, Ye Fan had already crossed over ten nations, more than tens of thousands of miles away. Only then did he stop.
Flying directly to the Northern Region of the Eastern Wilderness would take years, years of wasted time where he couldn’t cultivate. That was something Ye Fan couldn’t afford.
“Is there no other way?” he muttered. The Eastern Wilderness was vast beyond measure, he had only crossed a sliver of the Southern Region. To traverse from south to north… the distance was unimaginable.
Only after stopping did Ye Fan realize what kind of storm he had just stirred up.
In these few short days, the news of the Bronze Immortal Palace’s reappearance had spread through the domain gates and reached every major power in the Eastern Wilderness. Countless great figures were shaken.
Storms erupted across the land. Not only human overlords were coming, but ancient demonic race powerhouses had been roused as well.
Among them were beings who had been in closed-door cultivation for years, even centuries.
Yet, the most shocking news came today.
It was rumored that Nangong Zheng, a great human cultivator thought to have passed away 500 years ago, had reappeared and arrived at Supreme Mystery Sect.
Even more sensational was this: Peacock Monarch, a demonic overlord who once swept through the Southern Region 800 years ago, had also resurfaced, spotted in the territory of the State of Wei.
No one knew if the rumors were true, but they shook the hearts of all.
Becoming immortal, the ultimate goal of countless cultivators, the dream pursued across a lifetime. Yet, throughout all history, how many had truly stepped across that threshold?
Ancient texts mention a few suspected of attaining immortality, but there was no definitive proof. The path seemed ever more uncertain, even to the most brilliant of cultivators.
Through the long ages, oceans turning to deserts and back again, one generation after another of genius fell into the dust. The word “immortal” seemed increasingly distant, like a winter night without stars or moon, cold, dark, and hopeless.
In the long history of the Eastern Wilderness, many legendary figures had appeared, shaking heaven and earth, but even they turned to bones.
In ages past, some peerless prodigies seemed capable of plucking stars and grasping the moon. They had the power to reach the heavens, yet none escaped death.
Even the Demon Emperor from ten thousand years ago, who once tried to rival the heavens, sweeping through the world in dominion, seeking to build a Demonic Heavenly Court, ended in failure.
Time crushed even his grand ambitions. He, too, returned to dust.
Since ancient times, the Eastern Wilderness has always had legends: the Bronze Immortal Palace may offer a true chance at immortality.
For those at the peak, it holds fatal allure. That beings like Nangong Zheng and the Peacock Monarch would return… isn’t so surprising after all.