Shrouding the Heavens - Chapter 208

The Emperor Jade in Ye Fan’s hand was slightly warm. He carefully put it away, glanced back at Xuanyue Cave, then disappeared over the horizon.

When he returned to Qingxia, he found he couldn’t even go into closed-door cultivation. The Li Huo Sect, Luoxia Sect, and Seven Stars Pavilion couldn’t hold back. It seemed they were ready to make a move at any moment. Qingxia had just been conquered by him, and these sects wanted to come and reap the benefits, which made him feel quite displeased.

"People from the Li Huo Sect have come to pay their respects," Qingxia’s disciples reported.

"Drive them out!" Ye Fan ordered directly, without waiting for the three Elders to say anything.

"It’s the Sect Leader’s Disciple from the Li Huo Sect. This... should we really drive him out?" The disciples were troubled and looked at Qingxia’s three Elders.

"So what if he’s the Sect Leader’s Disciple? Drive him out. Just say I’m not seeing anyone," Ye Fan waved his hand.

"This... may not be a good idea." Qingxia’s three Elders stood up and patiently explained, "The Li Huo Sect is very powerful, not inferior to Xuanyue Cave."

"Don’t tell me they also have an old monster like the Supreme Sect Leader," Ye Fan looked at the three of them.

One of the Elders smiled wryly and said, "In fact, they have two old monsters who were already powerful cultivators in the Third Realm of Dao Palace eight years ago."

Not just one, but two at once? Ye Fan felt at a loss for words. Just after he had stabilized Xuanyue Cave, the Li Huo Sect came along.

"Du Chengkun, the Sect Leader’s Disciple of the Li Huo Sect, requests an audience." A leisurely voice came from the Mountain Gate, traveling straight up to Qingxia Main Peak.

"They really think Qingxia is weak! Each one of them dares to act like this, standing outside the Mountain Gate and directly disturbing Qingxia’s peace." The three Elders were all furious. For a sect, this was an extremely disrespectful act. First, there was Li Youran, and now Du Chengkun. Transmitting messages in such a way truly showed their contempt for Qingxia.

"They’ve already seen through our actual strength and naturally no longer feel any apprehension." Ye Fan sneered, then a curious look appeared on his face. "The surrounding sects all harbor such wolfish ambitions, with powerful cultivators of the Third Layer Heaven of Dao Palace presiding over them. I really don’t know how you all have managed to survive."

"Our Qingxia also had such powerful cultivators."

"What?" Ye Fan was surprised.

"A few months ago, he suffered a cultivation deviation and has since passed away," an Elder said with a helpless, wry smile.

So, if I’d come a step earlier, it might have been disastrous for me? Ye Fan stroked his chin, feeling he might have underestimated Qingxia a bit.

"Du Chengkun, the Sect Leader’s Disciple of the Li Huo Sect, requests an audience." The leisurely voice came again, obviously closer this time.

"Let him in." Ye Fan sneered, then stood up and said, "I’ll go call a friend."

「Moments later.」

He appeared in the guise of the shameless Daoist Duan De. The three Elders of Qingxia exchanged glances, their mouths opening as if to say something, but they remained silent.

「Not long after.」

The Sect Leader’s Disciple of the Li Huo Sect arrived at the foot of Qingxia Main Peak. He did not ascend the steps but directly flew up. Such an entrance, as if walking into an unguarded domain, was also a form of contempt. If the sect were strong enough, a visitor paying respects would not dare to fly around so casually within the sect’s premises.

Upon reaching the main peak, Du Chengkun did not perform the courtesies expected of a junior. He merely gave a perfunctory clasp of his hands and said, "Greetings, seniors. My master has sent me with a letter, which must be delivered to your Qingxia Sect Leader personally."

"The Qingxia Sect Leader is currently in closed-door cultivation. You can leave the letter, and we will forward it," one of Qingxia’s Elders said in a deep voice.

"That won’t do. This matter is of great importance. My master repeatedly emphasized that it must be handed over to the Qingxia Sect Leader in person," Du Chengkun shook his head.

"Is it not the same if we forward it? This is Qingxia, and the Qingxia Sect Leader is in closed-door cultivation. Should he come out specifically for you?" An Elder of Qingxia’s face fell, feeling very displeased.

A trace of arrogance appeared on Du Chengkun’s face as he said, "This is the Sect Leader’s letter. Naturally, your Qingxia Sect Leader must receive it personally. No one else will do."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Ye Fan sneered and directly extended a large hand, which transformed to the size of a Grinding Disc and slapped down.

BOOM!

This was a very heavy blow. The slap sent Du Chengkun sprawling to the ground, many bones in his body fractured.

"Who are you, daring to attack me? You must know I’m representing the Li Huo Sect! Do you intend to provoke a war between our two sects?" Du Chengkun spat blood from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to get up, his arrogance slightly restrained but still appearing confident.

"I am Daoist Duan De!" Ye Fan declared.

"Where are you from? Why attack without reason?" Du Chengkun stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyebrows shot up. As the Li Huo Sect’s Sect Leader’s Disciple, he was proud and had never suffered such humiliation.

"Go back and tell your Sect Leader that my master is staying briefly in Qingxia and doesn’t want any rabble causing trouble. If you haven’t reached the third secret realm—Four Extremes—don’t come here courting death."

Ye Fan swung his palm, and the Grinding Disc-sized hand slapped down again, sending Du Chengkun flying off Qingxia Main Peak. He operated the Nine Secret Attack Sacred Technique, leaving very specific injuries on Du Chengkun. He reckoned that if they investigated, they would surely be shocked.

"Daoist Duan, you are..." Qingxia’s Elders were speechless. This individual was even more reckless than the young great evil person, having slapped away even the Li Huo Sect’s Sect Leader’s Disciple. This was provoking great resentment.

"No worries. The more submissive you are, the more they’ll attack." Ye Fan sneered, "I predict that after seeing Du Chengkun’s injuries, they won’t dare to attack."

"Reporting to the Elders, disciples of the Seven Stars Pavilion and Luoxia Sect request an audience."

"Let them in," Ye Fan waved his hand.

"Daoist, you don’t intend to..." Qingxia’s three Elders asked quietly.

As they expected, Ye Fan called the two individuals in and directly gave them a sound thrashing with his palms, beating them until they were screaming and wailing. He left them with broken bones and fractured tendons before driving them out of Qingxia.

"This..." Qingxia’s disciples exchanged glances, wondering which Daoist Temple this master hailed from. He was too fierce!

"If I didn’t give them a good beating, I couldn’t vent the anger in my heart. They really think they’re Saint Heirs, coming here to point fingers at me. Leaving them alive is already generous."

"Daoist, you’re too... direct. Acting like this will cause big trouble!" The three Elders were thoroughly alarmed.

"I struck them precisely to solve the problem."

Ye Fan felt he had no choice; he could only proceed this way. Otherwise, if he showed any weakness, he was sure Qingxia would be wiped out immediately. Others might play the pig to eat the tiger, but he had no choice but to play the tiger eating the pig. By appearing sufficiently powerful and inventing a non-existent master, he could temporarily intimidate their opponents.

"I will go and ask some friends to help. I’ll be leaving for half a month. I believe they won’t dare to attack during this period." Ye Fan decided to find a place for closed-door cultivation.

"Daoist, if you leave like this..." The people of Qingxia were a bit dumbfounded.

"No problem, rest assured. I’ll visit those three sects to intimidate them."

「On that very day.」

Ye Fan departed again. He visited the Li Huo Sect, Seven Stars Pavilion, and Luoxia Sect in succession, acting with great ostentation, like an heir from one of the Sacred Lands. Of course, he didn’t dare to actually enter their Mountain Gates, only wandering around outside. He didn’t want to take any risks; it would be troublesome if he were cornered by those old monsters.

Even so, this caused the three sects to become suspicious and uncertain. They began to think that Qingxia might truly have a cultivator at the third secret realm in residence; otherwise, why would this shameless Daoist dare to act so boldly?

Before going into seclusion, Ye Fan took a long trip to Pingyan City. He needed to get an update on the Yaochi Saintess’s movements to avoid missing out on any opportunities. He unexpectedly learned that the Yaochi Saintess was passing through city after city and might be heading back to Jade Lake soon.

Why is everything happening at the same time... Ye Fan sighed, fearing he would miss this opportunity if he went into seclusion.

Upon further inquiry, some said this was just a rumor and not true. In fact, the Yaochi Saintess might be heading to the area outside the Great Primordial Mine.

What is she going to the area outside the Great Primordial Mine for? Which piece of information is true? Ye Fan found it difficult to ascertain.

Looks like I’ll have to make a personal visit. He was determined not to miss this chance, no matter what. The safest way was to be invited by the Yaochi Saintess due to his stone-discerning skills; otherwise, sneaking in afterward would make it very easy to expose himself.

Ye Fan traveled like the wind, and several days later, he arrived at an ancient city named Kun Yun, 90,000 miles away. The Yaochi Saintess had already reached this place.

Kunyun City, situated in the Land of Suffering, was a small oasis yet was surrounded by many legends. The local people all believed that Ancient deities protected them. The Yaochi Saintess had been stationed here for more than half a month without leaving. This puzzled many, as they didn’t know what it was about Kunyun Ancient City that attracted her.

By now, her retinue of followers had reached an astonishing number. Many young talents trailed after her, their numbers ever-increasing. It had to be said, the allure of the Yaochi Saintess was truly immense. Young descendants from the Jiang Family, Ji Family, and Flickering Light, and even a Prince from the Central States, had come to follow her.

"Nonsense. I’ve heard there are no Sacred Lands in the Central States, yet there are Dynasties that have lasted for over 100,000 years. Anyone crowned a Prince would be a remarkable individual. Would they come all the way from the Central States to the Northern Region of the Eastern Wastelands for a woman?" Ye Fan shook his head, not quite believing it.

He was already inside Kunyun Ancient City. The cultivator who had spoken these words glanced at him and said, "Fat Daoist, your news is outdated."

"How is it outdated?"

"It’s absolutely true. Although the Prince didn’t come specifically from the Central States, it’s close enough. He was supposed to appear in the Northern Region’s sacred city but pursued the Yaochi Saintess here instead."

Ye Fan rubbed his chin. Is the Yaochi Saintess really that enchanting? Just how beautiful could she be to have Saint Heirs from various Sacred Lands, and even a Prince from a Dynasty lasting over 100,000 years, following her? It truly baffled him.

"Isn’t she just a woman?" he muttered.

"Fat Daoist, you’re a monastic, so you might not understand. However, if you were to see the true appearance of the Yaochi Saintess, you’d probably renounce your vows and return to secular life," someone remarked.

"This Daoist is not so weak-willed. Even if a Nine Heavens Profound Lady descended, I would still treat her as just a regular woman, not put her on a pedestal to be worshipped," he replied.

"That bull-nosed Daoist has a point. It’s just a sacred lady. One day, when I’m in a good mood, I might just snatch her to be my concubine," a young man with a bushy beard, standing nearby, interjected.

Ye Fan could tell at a glance that this bearded man was definitely a rogue, brimming with a bandit’s aura; he was likely a descendant of some great bandit. The people nearby instantly scattered, leaving only the bearded man and Ye Fan.

"I say, Bull-Nose, I like the way you talk. How about we find a place and have a couple of drinks?" the bushy-bearded young man invited.

Being called "Bull-Nose," Ye Fan could only nod, given that he was currently disguised as Daoist Duan De.

The two of them went up to a tavern and ordered some wine and dishes. The bearded man said, "Let’s eat first. I have friends coming later; they can order more." The bearded young man was very generous, clinking large bowls with Ye Fan. They downed eighteen bowls of strong liquor in a row.

"Excellent!" He wiped the liquor from the corner of his lips, laughed heartily, and said, "Tell me, are you really a Daoist? Whether it’s pork knuckles or roast lamb, you don’t refuse anything. Truly a wine-and-meat Daoist! By the way, I haven’t asked for your name yet."

"I am Daoist Duan De, with the Dao name Wuliang," Ye Fan replied.

"It seems Daoist and I are fated to meet! Not only does your appearance seem somewhat familiar, even your name sounds a bit familiar." The bearded young man had a leopard’s brow and round, glaring eyes. He was tall and imposing. He laughed heartily as he announced his name, "I’m Wu Zhongtian."

Isn’t the fifth-ranked great bandit in the Northern Region named Wu Dao? This imposing man, reeking of a bandit’s aura, is probably a descendant of that great bandit. The fourth great bandit was the Green Flood Dragon King, a renowned sovereign of the demon clan. The seventh great bandit was Flickering Light Sacred Master, who possessed a peak weapon of an Ancient Emperor. Wu Dao was ranked fifth, between these two, and his magical power was said to be immense. His descendants would surely be exceedingly strong. In fact, Ye Fan could already sense that Wu Zhongtian was unfathomably deep; his bold and open personality made him someone worth befriending.

「Indeed, it wasn’t long before Ye Fan’s assumptions were confirmed.」

Tu Fei ascended to the tavern floor, and behind him followed several very formidable young men, all of whom Ye Fan had seen before at the Yaochi Immortal Stone Workshop in Pingyan City. They were all descendants of great bandits; this was a gathering of young ruffians, none of them easy to deal with, hardly inferior to those Saint Heirs.

"I say, who is this Daoist? How come I’ve never seen him before?" one of them asked.

Tu Fei took a large gulp of wine and also asked, "Brother Zhongtian, who is this Daoist? Introduce us."

It was evident that Wu Zhongtian held a certain degree of prestige among them. After downing a large bowl of wine, he introduced Ye Fan, "I only just met this Daoist. He feels familiar, as if we were fated to meet. His name is Duan De, Dao name Wuliang."

"Yeah, that name sounds somewhat familiar to me too," Tu Fei mumbled.

Ye Fan thought, This is uncanny! Is that unscrupulous Daoist’s network really so extensive? It’s one thing for him to thrive in the southern region, but to have connections all the way here in the Northern Region? If that were the case, it would be truly extraordinary. One had to realize that traversing such a vast distance was incredibly difficult, and the Domain Gates were all controlled by the Sacred Lands.

"Brother Zhongtian, the name Duan De... the more I think about it, the more familiar it sounds. I remember you seemed to be cursing someone with that name eight or nine years ago," one of the great bandits’ descendants next to them muttered.

Wu Zhongtian looked as if he had remembered something. His round, glaring eyes instantly widened and fixed on Ye Fan. He said angrily, "Now I realize why you look so familiar! Damn it, so it was you!"

"Do we know each other?" Ye Fan sensed that things were taking a bad turn. It seemed that before he could even frame the shameless Daoist for anything, he was about to take the fall for that unscrupulous character’s past misdeeds.

"I may not have seen you in person, but I’ve seen your portrait! Even if your bones were burned to ashes, I’d recognize your ashes!" Wu Zhongtian was exasperated and furious. He shouted, ordering his men to surround Ye Fan, and pointed at him with a trembling finger, "Damn it, you scoundrel Daoist! You’re truly audacious beyond measure! You even dared to rob my great-grandfather’s grave! My grandfather said that if he ever caught you, he’d definitely suppress you in the Great Primordial Mine!"

Ye Fan’s mouth twitched. That shameless Daoist is too much of a scoundrel! How dare he provoke anyone and everyone? He even dared to rob the ancestral grave of the fifth great bandit. This is truly disturbing the sacred ground of an ’ancestor of thieves’ in the most literal sense!

"I say, everyone, this has absolutely nothing to do with me..." Ye Fan cried out, feeling wronged. This was a colossal setup, and he absolutely couldn’t take the blame. He cursed Daoist Duan De internally for being so utterly unscrupulous.

Wu Zhongtian was truly enraged. He had felt a sense of familiarity, thought it was fate, and had invited this scoundrel to eat meat and drink wine heartily. He never imagined there was an old grievance. He slammed his hand on the table, making it rattle loudly.

"I say, you unscrupulous Daoist, you’re too despicable! Even if Brother Zhongtian’s ancestor was a sovereign, you shouldn’t have robbed his grave so indiscriminately! If word of this got out, how could Grandpa Wu Dao, the fifth great bandit, ever show his face again?" Tu Fei said, his eyes narrowed, adding fuel to the fire.

「Far away, at the ends of the earth, in some unknown ancient ruins.」

The fat Daoist Duan De sneezed three times in a row and cursed, "Who’s cursing me? Don’t let this Daoist find out who you are, or I won’t let you off!"

At this moment, Ye Fan was truly speechless. The shameless Daoist had indeed committed countless sins. Seeing the group of young ruffians looking like they wanted to skin him alive, he quickly explained, "I am not Duan De! I have an old score to settle with him too!"

He had no choice but to reveal his True Body. If he delayed any longer, he was sure he would be torn apart by these bandits.

"A talented brother? I say, are you for real? In our line of work, when have we ever seen an all-rounder like you..."