Shrouded Sky

Whenever Ye Fan saw the old, the weak, the sick, and the helpless, a deep sadness always welled up in his heart. But the moment he witnessed the strong bullying the weak or people committing evil acts, he turned cold and merciless. It seemed contradictory, but it was just his true nature, an excessive compassion coexisting with ruthless coldness. He didn't know which side defined him more.

Take now, for example. He was utterly heartless, without the slightest trace of pity, stepping on the face of the Li Clan's Seventh Young Master. His voice was icy as he said, "If you don't want to suffer, then answer everything I ask. Otherwise, you'll learn what the consequences are."

"You little bastard…"

Bang!

Ye Fan kicked him away. All of the Seventh Young Master's teeth loosened, and his once fair, delicate face was now swollen beyond recognition, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

"Look at that smooth skin, you look just like a eunuch. Not talking? Fine, I'll make sure you really become one." Ye Fan once again summoned the golden book, and a beam of rainbow-like light shot out, suspended brilliantly in the darkness.

"You… what are you trying to do?" The Seventh Young Master was terrified.

"Make you a eunuch!"

"No! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" He was so scared his face twisted in horror. For a man, this was worse than death.

"Pathetic."

Ye Fan sat quietly on a nearby bluestone as he listened to him recount the past. As expected, Tingting's parents had been killed by several cultivators from the Li Clan. They had exchanged a rare and costly substance from other cultivators, one that could drive powerful spirit beasts into a frenzy, and secretly smeared it on Tingting's parents. As a result, when they went out to collect spirit herbs, they were torn to pieces by a ferocious Lightning Bird.

There were also dirty deals and dark schemes involved, which filled Ye Fan with righteous anger. He sighed and said, "Whether it's the mortal world or the world of cultivators, there's no real difference. Wherever there are people, there are tangled emotions, grudges, and human nature, even cultivators aren't immune."

Ye Fan reached into the young man's robes and pulled out a wooden box. Then, with a swift kick, he sent him flying. Under the light of the stars and moon, he slowly opened the heavy sandalwood box.

Inside was a pale yellow stone, about the thickness of a thumb and a knuckle long. Though small, it was surprisingly heavy. Ye Fan sensed a vigorous vitality from it.

"According to ancient records, in the age when Heaven and Earth's energies birthed all living things, vegetation thrived, creatures were strong, and spirit herbs were abundant. Many 'Sources' were formed, crystal-like, amber-hued stones filled with concentrated life essence. Is this one of those Sources?"

Under the moonlight, Ye Fan examined it closely. He found that the interior was full of impurities, only about a third of it was clear and crystalline, which left him slightly disappointed. It was not a pure Source.

Still, he was satisfied. This amber-like stone contained a dense and vibrant life essence, with mist-like and radiant light flowing within.

"A real treasure. I wonder how much bigger I can expand my Bitter Sea with this!"

"That's mine…" the Seventh Young Master moaned from a pool of blood nearby, his voice filled with hatred and pain.

"This Source was found in an ancient cave deep in the mountains, right? Is there only one? No others?"

Under Ye Fan's torture, the Seventh Young Master confessed everything. There was no trace of deceit. In that ancient cave was the remains of a long-dead cultivator. His skeleton had completely decayed, leaving behind only this one Source.

"What a shame. I was hoping to find a few more," Ye Fan muttered, knowing he was being greedy.

"I've told you everything. Will you let me go?" The Seventh Young Master looked up with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He knew it was a slim chance. His opponent clearly had no intention of sparing him.

"When you plotted against Tingting's parents, did you show any mercy? When you persecuted Grandpa Jiang and Tingting, did you ever consider letting them live?"

Ye Fan kicked him again and said, "I'll give you a choice, end it yourself. Spare yourself the pain. I haven't killed anyone yet, and I don't want to get blood on my hands."

"You… you've never killed anyone…?" The Seventh Young Master trembled with rage. "You… may you be struck by lightning!"

Ye Fan shoved him toward a boulder. "Go bash your head in. If I have to do it, I'll castrate you first, then kill you."

At that moment, the Seventh Young Master was beside himself with humiliation. To be forced to kill himself while his enemy didn't even consider him worthy of being killed, it was a disgrace.

"You little bastard! Damn you! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!" He coughed blood from fury.

Ye Fan sat quietly on the bluestone. "Stop whining and get it over with. I don't have all day."

"You… I…" The Seventh Young Master was so furious he couldn't speak. Finally, with a wild roar, he shouted, "You'll die a horrible death!"

Bang!

He smashed his head into the rock and died on the spot.

"You killed yourself. I didn't kill you," Ye Fan said as he got up and began cleaning the scene. It took him a full hour to erase all traces before he headed back toward the town.

Though he seemed calm, his palms were already drenched in sweat. This was his first time killing someone. Even though the Seventh Young Master deserved death, it still made Ye Fan uneasy.

After obtaining the Source, Ye Fan didn't rush to cultivate. He understood well that the life force within it was immense. Once broken, it would unleash a powerful surge of energy, easy to detect. Now was not the time to be careless.

For the next two days, Clear Wind Town remained peaceful. On the third day, two more Li Clan cultivators returned from the Red Mist Grotto-Heaven, and chaos erupted, shaking the entire town.

"The Seventh Young Master is missing!"

"How could a cultivator just vanish like that?"

"This is the Li Clan's karma!"

"Karma? More like the Wang Clan. Who else has the guts and strength to do something like this?"

"Right. I heard from Li Clan servants that it probably has to do with that Source from before."

…

Even the ordinary townsfolk were talking about it, showing just how big the incident had become. The entire Li Clan was furious, and afraid.

At first, Ye Fan didn't think much of it. The two returning Li Clan members hadn't reached the Life Spring Realm and couldn't fly on divine rainbows. They weren't truly dangerous. But in a few days, the situation escalated beyond his expectations.

The Red Mist Grotto-Heaven sent powerful cultivators, several in the Life Spring Realm, to personally lead the Li Clan to the cave where the Source was found. Soon after, the Wang Clan brought in their own members to explore the mountains. The two sides nearly came to blows.

"Could a Source vein have been discovered?" That day, a new group arrived in Clear Wind Town, more than a dozen riders, each mounted on exotic, powerful beasts with shining scales and impressive horns.

The central mount was especially striking. Covered in golden scales and surrounded by divine radiance, it seemed to burn with golden flames. It looked like a golden qilin, except it had two forked horns glowing with golden light. It floated three inches off the ground, walking on air, an obvious sign of its immense power.

Seated on the golden beast was a young man around twenty-four or twenty-five, dressed in white. He looked refined, with a gentle smile and striking good looks. His eyes sparkled with divine light, an extraordinary presence.

Beside him rode two others. On the left was a beast resembling a lion-tiger hybrid with long, jade-like turquoise fur, and a single glowing jade horn radiating five-colored god light. The beast also hovered off the ground. Atop it sat a youth in his teens, dressed in green, proud and full of energy, but with a hint of arrogance, he clearly looked down on the small town.

On the right was a silver beast shaped like a divine deer, covered in silvery scales, with a vertical eye glowing with holy light on its forehead. It, too, floated above the ground. A beautiful teenage girl rode it, skin like porcelain, eyes like misty autumn waters, red lips like cherry blossoms. Though stunning, she carried an air of aloofness.

Behind them followed more than a dozen rare beasts and riders, ranging in age from twenty to forty. Each exuded killing intent and strong battle spirit.

In the distance, Ye Fan watched it all and couldn't help but gasp. Who are these people? They were clearly no ordinary group.

Never mind the three in front, just the dozen warriors in back were on par with the ancient bloodlines and sacred grounds Ye Fan had seen at the Demon Emperor's Tomb. The pressure of their presence was intense.

"Excuse me, is there a Clan with the surname Jiang in this town?" one of the riders asked a local.

Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat. Why are they looking for someone named Jiang?