Su Yu nodded and said, "The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body was once incomparably glorious before Desolate Antiquity. A Great Accomplishment Sacred Body could wage war against Supremes. It was one of the human race's finest physiques, far surpassing the Eastern Wasteland Divine Body. Now, however, it is difficult to cultivate and cannot break through to the Four Extremes. Even cultivating the Dao Palace Secret Realm is exceedingly difficult."
Ye Fan was somewhat stunned. He paid no attention to the Sacred Body's glorious past or how it surpassed the Eastern Wasteland Divine Body. All of that was clouds passing before his eyes. One sentence had caught his attention.
It could not break through to the Four Extremes!
He asked nervously, "Daoist, could it be that none of the Sacred Bodies since Desolate Antiquity have broken through to the Four Extremes?"
Su Yu nodded. "I have encountered a Sacred Body who cultivated only the Dao Palace Secret Realm. He cultivated a single secret realm and reached the realm of the ancient sages. But it is true that no Sacred Body since Desolate Antiquity has broken through to the Four Extremes. An Innate Dao Diagram stands in the way, and that is not something a Sacred Body in the Dao Palace Realm can withstand."
He did not mention the Source required to cultivate the Sacred Body, afraid that Ye Fan would find it hard to accept. After all, Ye Fan had never even encountered Source at Spirit Ruins Paradise.
Ye Fan was not discouraged. Su Yu's words gave him immense encouragement, and his lost Dao heart had finally found a home. Stopped at the Four Extremes Secret Realm... a sage who cultivated a single secret realm...
Hearing that there was another Sacred Body, and that he had even reached the realm of the ancient sages-a Desolate Ancient Sacred Body in the realm of a Saint-Ye Fan's eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked Su Yu, "Daoist, is that Sacred Body senior still alive?"
Looking at Ye Fan's expectant face, Su Yu slowly shook his head.
"He was not from the present age. All I saw were his remains. But I have high hopes for you. Perhaps you can bring back the might of a Great Accomplishment Sacred Body!"
Hearing that the Sacred Body senior had already passed away, Ye Fan was somewhat disappointed. Then, hearing Su Yu's expectations of him, he could not help smiling bitterly.
A Great Accomplishment Sacred Body? He was still struggling to break through to the Life Spring. Though he firmly believed he could forge his own path of cultivation, he had never imagined that his Sacred Body might one day reach great accomplishment. He had not expected Su Yu to have more confidence than he did.
His face was resolute, and his eyes shone.
"Even if I am stopped at the Four Extremes Secret Realm, I will keep walking this path. Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Daoist. I cannot thank you enough."
Su Yu was somewhat approving. Although Ye Fan was the protagonist, he had suffered no shortage of hardships in his cultivation.
His early cultivation had been especially miserable: he had been a stranger in an unfamiliar land on the Big Dipper. In the end, he obtained the Source Heaven Book in the Northern Region, and the golden-scaled fish transformed into a dragon, setting him on the path of a Great Emperor.
"Hum!"
He looked into Ye Fan's eyes, his own forehead bone shining brilliantly with immortal golden light. In an instant, he held two fingers together like a sword and pressed them to the center of Ye Fan's brow.
Ye Fan's mind steadied, and he felt himself sinking into a hazy expanse. Only characters radiating silver light shone in his sea of consciousness, dazzling beyond compare.
The Bodhi Seed in his robes gave off a green light. Natural lines on its surface joined to form the image of a Buddha. Golden threads immediately streamed out of his golden Bitter Sea and gathered toward the Bodhi Seed. He felt an ethereal clarity and profound tranquility in his heart.
With the Bodhi Seed's help, he finally saw through the hazy mist in his sea of consciousness. He vaguely glimpsed a scroll shimmering with silver light. The tiny characters densely covering it were like stars, radiating rosy light, sacred and ethereal, like stars flowing with an immortal charm.
Countless rays of divine splendor shone from the silver scroll, gorgeous as a rainbow, leaving him utterly entranced.
This was unquestionably a supreme scripture, even more intricate and wondrous than the flight technique Su Yu had taught him last time.
Seeing Ye Fan enter a state of comprehending the Dao, Su Yu nodded slightly. As a Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, Ye Fan would need so much Source for the Dao Palace Realm that it could bring down a great sect. This book was the only way to solve the problem.
Today, he would give him half the Source Heaven Book and save the other half for the Bronze Immortal Palace.
As for the reason, Ye Fan would learn of the karma between him and the Empress sooner or later, and that karma was his reason.
And the Source Heavenly Master's curse?
He had inherited the Source Heavenly Master's legacy and cut open an unborn Saint Spirit. Misfortune in his later years?
Su Yu's gaze was sharp and piercing!
In this lifetime, he was about to achieve an Acquired Chaos Body. He paid the Source Heavenly Master's curse no mind at all. Sooner or later, he would sweep away the Yin evils and strike down everything in the Underworld.
Seeing that the man who had entered the Dao was in an isolated place, Su Yu looked around. He broke open a nearby mountain range to create a cave, then formed a seal with his jade-like hands. Spatial Dao patterns danced as he moved Ye Fan's entire body into the cave.
At the same time, a strand of his black hair drifted down and turned into a one-way defensive formation. Its power could just barely reach the Dao Palace Secret Realm, which was enough in these Primal Spirit Ruins.
Having done all this, Su Yu drifted away. This time he had received a kneel from Heavenly Emperor Ye, and in the future he could also fleece him at the Bronze Immortal Palace...
Chapter 75: Seeking the Taiyin Physique
At that moment, the cultivators gathered at the edge of the ruins were heading in a vast dark mass toward the Netherworld Cold Pool, hoping to break open the Demon Emperor's Yin Tomb and obtain supreme treasures.
Su Yu encountered few cultivators as he made his way out. This dungeon run had begun like a tiger's head and ended like a snake's tail. He did not know whether the Desolate Pagoda lay beneath that Yin Tomb, nor did he want to dig everything out.
The Azure Emperor should have fallen into a deep sleep by now and was in very poor condition. He needed to transform into a Green Lotus and use Ye Fan's sacred blood to revive. If the Desolate Pagoda really was beneath that Yin Tomb, there must be complete extreme Dao formation patterns there.
That strange little world...
As it happened, the Empress had also entered a period of transformation. The time during which Ye Fan grew up was precisely the most important stage of her becoming a Mortal World Immortal, though there was still a Great Accomplishment Sacred Body in the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.
At that moment, stars dotted the sky, half the bright moon emerged above the horizon, and the dark curtain of night began to descend upon the world.
Su Yu stopped and stood high in the air, his gaze drifting as he looked into the distance. Where was the Taiyin Physique now? In the original story, Ye Fan had fled the ruins and traveled two or three thousand li to reach a small town.
Without the child of fortune to lead the way, finding the Taiyin Physique within a radius of three thousand li would be somewhat difficult for this clone.
After leaving Spirit Ruins Paradise, Ye Fan had encountered one fortuitous opportunity after another. He could even run into the Taiyin Physique by picking an inn at random. Su Yu did not have that kind of fortune, and judging by his several experiences comprehending the Dao, his fortune was not particularly good.
Had he not devoured the Heavenly Emperor's Son, bringing his Chaos Body close to completion and making him naturally close to the Dao, he would probably have been worrying about cultivation now.
Su Yu swept a fingertip through the air, scattering several strands of hair. Chanting an incantation, he made his forehead bone glow faintly. A vast strand of divine sense split into dozens of clones, each carrying a trace of Chaos Qi. Each took possession of a strand of ink-black hair and assumed human form, then flew off in every direction.
He also chose a direction at random and flew straight ahead on a Divine Rainbow. This Chaos clone of his could not exist for long, and dividing his divine sense shortened its time even further.
Su Yu silently took stock of the divine power within him. Converting the Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family had consumed quite a bit of his magic power. His expression tightened. He could last half a day at most, and if he encountered a major battle, that time would be reduced further.
The night sky grew darker. The clouds had dispersed, and the earlier crescent moon had become a bright moon hanging overhead, shedding moonlight like thin mist. Stars dotted the heavens, glittering like diamonds.
An hour had passed by then, and night had fully fallen. Su Yu walked into a small town, followed by a middle-aged man carrying a bright lantern.
"Whoosh!"
A palm-sized green jade disc appeared in Su Yu's hand. He glanced at the richly dressed man behind him.
"Show me the tavern run by the old man surnamed Jiang, and this jade is yours. If you dare deceive me..."
Su Yu did not continue, but he did not need to.
The richly dressed man's eyes went wide at the sight of the green jade disc. It was translucent green blood jade, an immortal material of the Other Shore level that could be used to refine an artifact containing true patterns.
He was also a cultivator who had opened his Bitter Sea, and the towns and villages within a hundred li were all under his jurisdiction.
This was the method Su Yu had been using. Whenever he reached a town, he spread out his divine sense and sought out the strongest cultivator there. Then he asked whether there was a small shop in that person's jurisdiction run by an old man surnamed Jiang, who also had an orphaned granddaughter with him.
In the end, he found it.
"This way, Senior. How would I dare deceive you? That old man's son was once taken away by an immortal. Who around here doesn't know that? Unfortunately, he lost his life young, leaving the old man to live with his granddaughter."
The richly dressed man carefully studied Su Yu's expression, hoping to learn his attitude toward that family so he could curry favor with this senior.
To his disappointment, however, Su Yu's expression remained as still as an ancient well from beginning to end, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.
Both were cultivators, and they soon found a small shop that had yet to close in a secluded corner.
"Senior, this is the place."
The richly dressed man spoke cautiously. Though respectful, he kept the corner of his eye on Su Yu's sleeve.
Su Yu tossed him the jade disc. The man was overjoyed and held the translucent green blood jade in both hands, examining it again and again.
This really was a very small restaurant, with only seven or eight tables inside. The tables and chairs were clearly old, polished to a shine from repeated wiping. They looked quaint and were very clean.
The richly dressed man walked into the shop and called out.
"Uncle Jiang, come out quickly! An honored guest is here."
"Village head!"
An old man with graying hair emerged from the shop. The years had long since left their marks on his face, covering it with wrinkles. He looked weather-beaten, and his clothes had many patches. His life did not seem to be going very well.
Old Uncle Jiang looked at the richly dressed man with some apprehension, his eyes somewhat clouded.
His deceased son had offended the Li Family in town, several of whose members cultivated at an immortal sect. He worried that the Li Family had joined forces with the village head to drive him out of town.
"Are you Jiang Haisheng?"
A gentle voice came from outside, leaving Old Uncle Jiang momentarily dazed. That name had been buried deep in his memories.
Seeing Su Yu enter, the village head hurried to stand behind him. He had heard Su Yu's attitude in his words and was already trying to remember whether he had ever offended the old man.
"Old Uncle Jiang, this is an expert from an immortal sect."
Old Uncle Jiang nodded slightly, a glimmer returning to his eyes. He replied, "I am Jiang Haisheng. Are you from the Jiang Family?"
Su Yu shook his head and came straight to the point. "I am not from the Jiang Family. I have come for Jiang Tingting. She has a special physique, and I would like to take her away to cultivate."
Hearing this, Old Uncle Jiang grew wary, and his eyes involuntarily turned toward the back.
Just then, a little girl as pretty as a carved doll rushed out from the inner room of the shop. She was about five or six years old, dressed very plainly and simply in patched clothes. Her hair was tied in two pigtails, and she was very cute, with rosy cheeks like red apples.
Jiang Tingting hugged Old Uncle Jiang and looked at Su Yu with open hostility.
Have I become the villain, separating a family?
Su Yu said no more. He flew straight outside and released a beam of divine light that illuminated the night sky over the town. A faint pressure enveloped the area, subduing the minds of everyone in town except the old man and orphaned girl behind him.
His gaze turned cold as he asked the village head, "Which people in this town have bullied Old Uncle Jiang? Point them out."
Su Yu's display had cowed the village head. Trembling, he said, "The Li Family in town sent people to seize Uncle Jiang's restaurant, and they've always sent people to humiliate the old man."
Chapter 76: The Li Family
Su Yu stood quietly in the sky, revealing his true appearance. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, bound at one point with a golden ribbon. His features were flawless, like a spirit from the Immortal Domain who had fallen into the mortal world by mistake, like the bright moon and the stars. His eyes were incomparably bright, and every part of his body was beyond reproach. Five-colored rosy light radiated from him, and streams of divine light surged around him, making him appear utterly sacred.
The night wind brushed past. The crowd kneeling below fell deathly silent, while the only two cultivators knelt at the very front, quiet as cicadas in the cold, terrified that Su Yu would unleash a slaughter. They held official posts and had taken part when the Li Family forcibly seized Jiang Haisheng's restaurant.
A lean old man in brocade among the crowd glanced at the village head and mustered the courage to say, "Immortal master, my unworthy son also cultivates at Yanxia Cave Heaven. Could there be some-"
"Silence!"
Before he could finish, Su Yu interrupted him from the sky. He gave the old man an icy look. Trying to use Yanxia Cave Heaven to pressure me? Even if you had Yaoguang Holy Land backing you, death would be your only road. You don't know the immensity of heaven and earth.
He descended in front of Old Uncle Jiang and said gently, "Uncle Jiang, I mean no harm, and you needn't worry. This so-called Yanxia Cave Heaven is no more than an ant in my eyes. How should these people be dealt with?"
For all its brutality, the approach had produced an obvious result. He did not have much time to deal with these trifles. Killing them or sparing them was a matter of a single thought, and he did not care. It was entirely up to Old Uncle Jiang.
Then Su Yu paid no attention to Old Uncle Jiang's complicated expression. He crouched down, a smile appearing on his immortal face, as warm as the winter sun.
Jiang Tingting looked at the beautiful big brother, and the wariness in her heart gradually faded. A mist of tears rose beneath her long eyelashes as she remembered what her grandfather had told her.
Good people are rewarded, and bad people receive their just deserts. Has heaven shown its power? Did it send an immortal to see justice done? This big brother is so handsome...
Seeing the little girl's unfocused gaze, Su Yu smiled faintly. Five-colored divine light flashed in his hand, and a set of dazzling, gorgeous purple bracelets appeared. He had prepared them before coming: ornaments refined from Purple Light Jade Marrow, enough for Jiang Tingting to use all the way to the Immortal Platform Realm.