Ch. 98 - One Artifact To Break Myriad Arts

This was an entirely new experience. Ye Fan stood high in the sky, his robe fluttering in the fierce wind. The mountains and rivers lay beneath his feet, and a feeling of controlling “everything” surged within him.

With a vast field of view, he gazed into the distance. This was an unprecedented sensation, soaring into the sky by his own power, overlooking the world he once lived in. It was awe-inspiring.

The magnificent landscape and vast earth filled his eyes. It made his heart expand, his ambitions rise. The heavens and all creatures, every blade of grass and tree, all imprinted in his soul, stirred in him a fierce and mighty will.

“So this is the Life Spring Realm… I can feel the power surging within me…” Ye Fan stood in mid-air. His flesh was spotless and immaculate, his whole body crystalline and glowing faintly like a beautiful piece of art. He felt as if he had undergone a rebirth.

Only now did he truly understand how immense the gap was between cultivation realms. His body was near-perfect. If he encountered a cultivator still in the Bitter Sea Realm, he believed he could obliterate them with a single gesture. This wasn’t blind confidence, it was the undeniable reality of the powerful, endless force now within him.

Ye Fan rode a rainbow light, streaking across heaven and earth. Sometimes he shot forward like a comet striking the earth, other times like the moon rising from the sea, or a soaring dragon breaking through the sky.

Only after half an hour did he finally calm down, landing on a mountaintop. The wind brushed his face, and his long black hair swayed gently. His eyes shone like twin stars, dazzling and radiant.

Ye Fan stood silent, his powerful and fierce aura retracted. He now exuded a peaceful and serene temperament. Spotless and immaculate, his robe swayed gently. Like a banished immortal descending into the mortal world, ethereal and graceful, he gave off a sense of otherworldly harmony and natural elegance.

At this moment, the half-fist-sized Bitter Sea within his body had completely calmed. There were no longer erupting volcanoes or surging waves. The turbulent chaos was gone.

The golden Bitter Sea was tranquil. At its center, a spring bubbled gently, radiating vibrant life energy, that was the source of godpower.

Beneath the Bitter Sea, the Life Wheel had been activated. It released endless life force, the fundamental root of a cultivator’s strength.

Ripples spread from the Life Spring across the Bitter Sea, forming gentle waves filled with spiritual vitality. Golden sea and divine spring merged, with godpower flowing continuously and life force abundantly surging.

The mysterious piece of green bronze had changed position, it was now fixed in the spring at the bottom of the sea, continually being bathed in the divine spring. The golden book was still squeezed to the side, unable to approach the spring’s eye.

The "cauldron" Ye Fan was forging was still only a vague outline, cherry-sized, hovering above the Bitter Sea and not yet fully formed.

By normal standards, each of the four realms, Bitter Sea, Life Spring, Celestial Bridge, and the Other Shore, could be used to forge one artifact. Now that Ye Fan had entered the second realm, he should have at least one artifact, but he had none. This made him frown, indeed, the cauldron was the hardest artifact to forge.

Still, he wasn’t too worried. The Dao Scripture clearly stated that the more profound and complex the artifact, the harder it was to forge, because such artifacts contained the “Dao” and “Laws” of the universe.

According to the Dao Scripture, one could focus on forging a single artifact across all four realms. The most powerful artifacts were formed this way, only one artifact forged through all four stages.

This was the meaning behind “great artifacts are late to form.” But once complete, such an artifact could break all rules: “When my flower blooms, all others wither.”

Across the Eastern Wilderness, only a few ancient scriptures recorded this deep secret of forging a single artifact through four realms. Most cultivators never had the chance to touch such knowledge.

Even so, the sacred grounds and ancient clans that held these scriptures rarely had disciples daring enough to take the risk. Opportunity always came with danger. Trying to get more meant potentially paying a price too steep. In history, most who attempted this ended up with nothing, wasting years. Without a personal artifact, one couldn’t control objects, becoming little more than a cripple.

In the Bitter Sea Realm, Ye Fan didn’t need to decide yet, he just had to focus on forging his cauldron. But now that he had reached the Life Spring Realm and the artifact still hadn’t formed, a decision was unavoidable.

“Though filled with danger, and though I may end up with nothing, I have no retreat. I chose to forge the cauldron because I wanted the strongest artifact. Someday it might embody the very Dao and universal principles. Forging one artifact across four realms aligns perfectly with that goal, I have no reason to shrink back.”

Ye Fan wasn’t worried that others might have more artifacts while he had only one. He believed the words of the Dao Scripture: one artifact to break all rules, when I bloom, all others fade.

“I just hope it’s truly a late-blooming greatness… and not a lifetime of regret.”

Now that he had reached the Life Spring Realm, Ye Fan could fly through the skies. He started thinking about exploring the Forbidden Ancient Realm. But he needed to prepare well. Otherwise, it might become his grave.

He didn’t set off immediately. Instead, he stayed to consolidate his new realm. After a breakthrough, there’s always an adjustment period. Over the next year, he dug deep into his cave-dwelling, nearly triggering a volcanic eruption as he sought out the fire-vein’s spiritual energy.

Time passed quickly. Ye Fan cultivated for nearly a full year. He almost completely drained the fire vein’s energy. His realm was now fully stabilized and had even improved slightly. The divine spring within him surged with even more vitality.

But that wasn’t his greatest gain. What truly thrilled him was this: the “rough embryo” of the cauldron had finally taken shape. Using the strange fire-energy he’d extracted, and after millions of refinements, the three-legged round cauldron was finally born into this world.

“It seems that forging an artifact truly requires some extraordinary spirit energy. No doubt, divine flames are most effective. Just like forging weapons in the real world, you need fire to melt and shape them. Building a cauldron within the body is no different!”

Above Ye Fan’s Bitter Sea hovered a small cauldron, roughly the size of a cherry. Its divine radiance was fully hidden, making it appear simple and natural. Over the past year, through millions of refinements and countless engravings of the Dao Runes from the green copper, the little cauldron had gained a remarkable aura, like it embodied the Dao itself.

Ye Fan willed it, and the cauldron flew from his body, silent, effortless. It pierced a stone wall over ten meters thick and floated in the sky above his cave.

“A cauldron with two ears, three legs. The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two to Three, and Three to all things. All things embrace Yin and hold Yang… Excellent! Excellent!”

Ye Fan was very satisfied. The ancient and simple cauldron gave him a feeling of natural Dao, it seemed as if it truly contained the principles of the universe, mysterious and profound.

“I look forward to the day when one artifact can break all rules…”

Even in its current state, the small cauldron was already a powerful weapon, offensive, defensive, and indestructible. The Dao Runes from the green copper granted it strange powers that continued to evolve.

Ye Fan had now lived in this world for three years. One year in the Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven, and nearly two more years in this cave dwelling. His body had grown taller, now about 170 centimeters, but he still looked youthful, like a fourteen-year-old boy.

His once-short hair now flowed over two feet long, black and thick, draping over his chest and back. Wind lifted it gently. He looked very handsome. No one would guess this boy was a cultivator at the Life Spring Realm.

“It’s time to leave…” Ye Fan glanced back at the cave behind him, then flew low along the forest, heading out of the mountains.

He dragged a water deer into a small town. After exchanging it for some coins, he first bought new clothes. His body had grown, and his old clothes were in rags, so torn they drew stares and whispers from passersby.

“In order to cultivate in this world, one must first blend into the mundane world.”

Ye Fan found a place to eat, choosing a window seat. Nearby, a few people with uncommon auras sat around a table. They were clearly different from ordinary folks.

True cultivators had no overlap with mortals. They wouldn’t show their powers in front of regular people. Even if they passed each other on the street, commoners wouldn’t know. Clearly, these were cultivators. Sticking to their principles, they didn’t want to draw attention, and spoke quietly. Unless one had a sharp spiritual sense, their words would be impossible to hear.

“That Demon Emperor’s tomb is far too strange. It’s been over two years, and countless cultivators have died trying to open it, yet it still remains sealed.”

“All of Eastern Wilderness has been shaken. The major sects have sent masters to that ruin, but no one has been able to crack the Yin Tomb.”

“The real powerhouses are hesitant to act. That Yin Tomb is nearly sentient, unless someone uses the supreme treasure of the Eastern Wilderness, even the strongest beings can’t break it. If disturbed, it could burrow underground like a dragon into the sea, never to be found again.”

“I heard three great figures have died. Is that true?”

“Of course it is. Countless cultivators have perished. That deep black pool is almost filled with corpses. Even great figures have fallen, several more are said to be on the verge of death.”

Ye Fan was shocked. He hadn’t expected that even after two years, the Demon Emperor’s tomb remained unopened and that the slaughter domain inside had taken so many lives. He continued eating, silently listening, showing no reaction, not wanting to alert the nearby cultivators.

“The area around that deep pool is a mountain of bones, a land of blood and death. Just looking from a distance gives you chills. Resentment fills the skies. Every inch of soil is soaked with the blood of cultivators.”

“If it’s so deadly, why do so many still rush there, one after another?”

“Without benefit, who would risk their life? That’s the tomb of the Demon Emperor who unified the Eastern Wilderness’ demon race. It must be filled with treasures.”

“Right. Even the greatest figures were drawn in. Rumor has it the Yin Tomb holds the supreme treasure of our Eastern Wilderness, the Desolate Tower!”

“You mean the legendary tower that can kill immortals?”

“Yes! Otherwise, why would those powerful beings risk death to enter?”

“For two years now, disciples of all sects have been terrified of being sent to that ruin. But the sects won’t back down. Who knows how many more will die?”

“You may not know this, but it’s said that even people from the Heartlands have been alarmed. Recently, some mysterious figures arrived in the Eastern Wilderness.”

“They want to steal our Eastern Wilderness’s Desolate Tower?”

“Not exactly. They won’t reach that far. Even if the Heartlands cultivators are unmatched, they wouldn’t dare make enemies of all Eastern Wilderness. A war like that would be catastrophic. Supposedly, they came searching for a treasure from the Heartlands…”

Not far away, Ye Fan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He didn’t need to guess. Those important figures from the Heartlands were undoubtedly here for the profound green copper.

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