Chapter 435

Jiang Shenwang's expression was tinged with emotion—he clearly knew of the Ancient Sacred Body.

"Yes, Elder."

Ye Fan nodded; he wasn't surprised. If this man was truly a perfected Divine King, sensing his constitution was no oddity.

His path still needed to be walked by himself—he wanted to see how far he could go.

"I will cultivate for some time in this village. If you have any questions, you may ask me."

Jiang Shenwang said this to Ye Fan and Pang Bo—though it was also meant for Fang Yu.

He faintly sensed Fang Yu's strength was immensely powerful, yet his cultivation path was strange; his body harbored great secrets, utterly forbidding any outsider from peering into it—even as a Divine King, he could not determine whether Fang Yu was at the Palace Secret Realm, the Four Extremities Secret Realm, or even the Transformation Dragon Secret Realm.

As for the Immortal Platform Secret Realm, it should be impossible—but then again, it seemed possible.

This level of cultivation could not be described in words, yet a bold guess quietly rose in his heart.

This one began cultivation with the Immortal Platform Secret Realm, and seemed to have brought it to an extraordinarily profound level.

Ordinary cultivation begins with the Wheel Sea, then ascends to the Palace Secret Realm—the five viscera, within which five divine figures are born, forming the five levels of the Palace Secret Realm.

After completing the Palace Secret Realm, one cultivates the Four Extremities—the four limbs. When perfected, the limbs can pierce heaven and earth, granting boundless strength.

After the limbs are perfected, the human body still has the spine. The spine remains untrained; the Nine Transformations of the Dragon, each more powerful than the last, refer to cultivating the great dragon of the spine to perfection.

At this point, the body has cultivated the lower dantian, the five viscera, the four limbs, and the spine—only the brain remains untrained.

The Immortal Platform is the brain—the supreme immortal treasure, holding boundless potential.

Ordinary cultivators only reach the Immortal Platform after completing the prior realms, training the brain. But Jiang Shenwang had a feeling: this Fang Yu seemed to have begun cultivation directly from the brain, using the Immortal Platform's supreme transformations to reshape his body, bringing his limbs, viscera, and spine to an unimaginable state.

This was Jiang Shenwang's guess—a thought that filled him with shock. Who in the world begins with the Immortal Platform before the other realms? Yet this Fang Yu was truly terrifying.

Within the Five Elemental Divine Light, it seemed as if ten divine figures were contained—equivalent to having already perfected the Palace Secret Realm after the Immortal Platform, and ten divine figures were twice as many as others' perfected Palace Secret Realm.

His limbs and spine radiated endless divine power, as if both Secret Realms had also been perfected.

Only the Wheel Sea remained unclear—what changes had occurred there, he could not tell.

Just as Jiang Shenwang pondered this, Zhang Kuang's gaze turned to Fang Yu, as if he had something to say.

Fang Yu stepped forward; Zhang Kuang followed behind, his voice trembling with excitement: "Immortal, have you obtained…?"

"Obtained."

Fang Yu nodded; silver light flashed, and the Source Heaven Book appeared in his hand—its silver glow hazy, like the moon in a well, or a pearl in the sea, giving an unreal sensation.

"The Heaven Book has truly emerged—good, good, good."

Zhang Kuang trembled, his face filled with joy, yet he did not reach for it—only his expression overflowed with emotion. "This Heaven Book has finally appeared, brought forth by you, Immortal. Had it not been for you, it would have been lost forever. This book rightfully belongs to you—I cannot take it."

"At the time, I had no chance to read it, but having seen it once, I can comprehend it—I need not possess it."

Fang Yu shook his head.

"No, Immortal—only you are worthy to take this Heaven Book. I am old, with no time to study it. My family's younger generation are all lazy, none have become accomplished. Even if they learned the Source Heaven Book, they'd boast carelessly and die instantly. Better you take it—when a wise, trustworthy descendant of my Zhang clan appears, you may pass it to him."

Zhang Kuang still shook his head. He feared: there was no suitable person in the clan now. If anyone learned even a single technique from the Source Heaven Book and showed it off, word would leak—and disaster would follow.

The Source Heaven Book can stabilize sources—even stabilize divine sources. Its value is unimaginable. To possess it is to control vast quantities of source, holding incalculable significance.

If this became known, even the great holy lands and noble clans would spare no effort to seize it—and those who learned it would be silenced without hesitation.

Thus, treasures belong to those with strength. To obtain a treasure without sufficient strength may only bring annihilation upon one's clan.

"Very well. Since that is so, I shall keep it—until a worthy guardian appears."

Fang Yu nodded.

The banquet was lavish; bonfires flickered. The people of Shi Zhai sat outdoors on the ground, feasting on large chunks of meat. Beautiful maidens danced before the flames. The scent of meat mingled with wine—exquisitely delicious.

People exchanged cups, laughter and joy filling the air.

Jiang Shenwang sat apart, watching this scene, a look of emotion on his face.

Once the youngest, most promising genius of the ancient Jiang clan, once towering above all, he had entered Zishan and been sealed for four thousand years. Now reborn into the mortal world, the old arrogance was gone. Seeing these joyful, simple people, his heart felt light.

He even drank a little wine—but ate little meat.

After being freed, he was like a man recovering from grave illness—he could not overindulge in wine or meat.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo were also in good spirits. As for Fang Yu, he finally had time to study the Source Heaven Book.

Arriving in another world, studying cultivation manuals and reading knowledge brought no harm. Fang Yu, having obtained the Source Heaven Book, did not disdain it, nor did he claim that an Eternal Life being should not read it.

He read it with great delight.

The Source Heaven Book was a treasure. Not only its contents, but its material itself was exceedingly rare—indestructible.

Opening the book, ancient characters glowed like stars, radiant and brilliant.

The book opened by stating its purpose: the relationship between heaven, earth, and humanity—through source, one draws near the Dao, ultimately achieving unity with heaven and earth.

Look upward and observe the patterns of heaven; look downward and observe the laws of earth; observe the patterns of birds and beasts—inner and outer multiply in harmony.

This book did not teach cultivation methods, yet approached the Dao, encompassing many subjects: mountain and river formations, terrain structures, celestial changes, yin and yang, five elements, and the method of heavenly-human resonance.

If it fell into the hands of others—especially ordinary people—the Source Heaven Book would be impossible to enter, for yin-yang, five elements, and heavenly-human resonance were utterly mysterious and impossibly obscure to them.

But for Fang Yu, who had reached the Heavenly Man Realm, he had already understood certain principles of heavenly-human harmony—enabling him to condense spiritual techniques into grand arrays and arrange them externally to commune with wind and water. He had long possessed the potential to cultivate Source Arts.

Learning Source Arts came to him as easily as turning his hand.

Wherever his gaze fell, he comprehended all Source Arts.

Yet as the Source Arts progressed, their profundity and power truly revealed themselves.

When perfected, Source Arts could drive mountains and herd seas—even move stars.

That was formidable.

Fang Yu's current strength could lift mountains with a gesture and grasp lakes with a motion—but to herd an entire ocean or move a star with Source Arts? He could not yet do it.

To move a star required at least a Longevity Secret Realm existence in the Eternal Life Realm.

These would take time to comprehend. Fang Yu turned further into the Source Heaven Book and saw additional content at the end—different from the main text, seemingly added by later hands.

"Maintain stillness without decay; the valley is formed through it—its form unseen…"

This was not the main scripture of the Source Heaven Book, but a method of cultivation. Fang Yu could tell that it was the Art of the Five Gods — a heart method for cultivating the Dao Palace, a secret of nurturing life.

A cultivator's lifespan does not increase much in the Wheel and Sea Realm, but after stepping into the Other Shore Realm and reaching the Dao Palace Realm, one nurtures five divine spirits, which can extend lifespan and is also the foundation of cultivating Dao power.

This bears some resemblance to the Heavenly Man Realm of the Eternal Life Realm.

When one cultivates to reach the Heavenly Man Realm, the divine abilities within the body condense into great formations. Once the Five Elements Grand Formation is condensed within the five viscera, the cultivator's lifespan increases greatly — enough to live eight hundred years.

The Shrouding Heaven Realm is similar: cultivating to the Palace Secret Realm and refining five divine spirits can also add many years to one's lifespan.

Exactly how many years — that was not something Fang Yu could know.

"This should be a fragmentary heart method from the Yaochi Holy Land."

Fang Yu studied these heart methods, aware of their origins.

Back then, the Yaochi Holy Maiden was Source Heaven Master Zhang Lin's confidante. Upon learning of his disappearance in his later years, she even entered Zishan to search for him.

This Holy Maiden even gave Zhang Lin some of Yaochi's heart methods, to extend his lifespan.

The past drifts far away — another tale of love, hate, and old entanglements.

That person is long gone; now only the Source Heaven Book remains.

"There's also a technique like this."

Fang Yu's gaze fell upon another extraordinary art within the Source Heaven Book. This absolute art could transform oneself — far more ingenious by countless times than a cultivator's art of disguise, a change virtually from the inside out.

He activated this technique and directly transformed into the appearance of Fang Han.

With another shift, he transformed into a Primeval Heavenly Dragon.

"Seems pretty good too."