Chapter 841

"The nine-orifice stone man, a sacred spirit born of nature, infused with dragon-patterned black gold, indeed carries boundless fortune—too bad it emerged too early, but for us, this is no bad thing."

Everyone's gaze burned with eagerness as they stared at the dragon-patterned black gold sword; though less than an inch long, it wove together Dao and principle—if it had not emerged prematurely, and had matured alongside the nine-orifice stone man, it would surely have become an ultimate sacred weapon.

Now, even though this dragon-patterned black gold sword emerged early, as long as it is dragon-patterned black gold, it is priceless.

"Brother, my Jiang family offers thirteen ten thousand sources."

The white-robed Jiang Yifei was the first to whisper to Fang Yu; had the Stone Garden not barred entry, he would have already flown in.

"Sell it to me—I'll offer fifteen ten thousand catties of source!"

"This old man needs it—eighteen ten thousand catties of source!"

Within the Heaven-class Stone Garden, the elders spoke one after another, bidding tens of thousands of catties of source; many eyes blazed with hunger, as if they longed to seize it instantly.

Outside the Stone Garden, the crowd erupted; all watching cultivators were filled with envy and jealousy.

One cut yielded a divine herb, the second cut yielded dragon-patterned black gold—two unparalleled rarities, both of astronomical value; many eyes turned green, gazing at this spot like wolves, desperate to rush forward and fight for it.

This dragon-patterned black gold wove together Dao and principle, a favorite of the elder sages, priceless—but the only problem was its small size; if this dragon-patterned black gold were as vast as a mountain, a fierce battle would have erupted here instantly.

"This dragon-patterned black gold is indeed a fine treasure, but I do not wish to sell it now."

Fang Yu toyed with the dragon-patterned black gold in his hand, seeing upon it a series of dragon-like patterns, mysterious and natural—these were innate Great Dao dragon markings, the very origin of its name.

This sacred metal naturally wove together Dao and principle; besides that, it was unbreakable, a rare and excellent material, offering Fang Yu many benefits.

As for the prices those old men offered—thirteen ten thousand catties, fifteen ten thousand catties—they were garbage in his eyes.

He had come to the Shrouding Heaven Realm with one hundred million Pure Yang Pills stored in the Chaos Tower; he naturally had no interest in a mere hundred-odd thousand jin of source.

Such material as dragon-patterned black gold could be forged into peerless Dao artifacts even in the Eternal Life Realm, even into Immortal artifacts; having obtained it, he would never give it away.

"Twenty ten thousand catties of source, twenty ten thousand catties of source—will you sell it to me? I'll owe you a favor."

An old man spoke urgently.

At this moment, the refined Jiang Yifei finally entered the garden, bowed to the old Daoist priestess, then stepped forward to purchase the sword.

Simultaneously, a woman from some unknown pleasure house arrived; upon entering, she released a fragrance like orchid and musk, her eyes like flowing water, smiling sweetly—though she said nothing, her intent was clear: she wanted the sword.

The young Daoist priestess of Dao Yi Sacred Sect, embodying the spirit of heaven and earth, stood at a distance, saying nothing.

She had already seen clearly: this peerless genius Fang Yu would never give away this dragon-patterned black gold; this peerless genius bore the bearing of a young emperor—he had obtained the dragon-patterned black gold, and would surely use this sacred artifact for himself.

A young emperor must have a treasure forged from dragon-patterned black gold.

After all, she had heard that Ji Haoyue, the divine body of the Ji family in the Eastern Wilderness, had sought to seize an emperor's imperial weapon after his divine body first formed; even when his divine body reached full maturity, he could at best reach the level of ancient sages, never becoming an emperor himself.

Even the divine body of the Eastern Wilderness sought an emperor's weapon—how could a young emperor with the Chaos Body possibly give up dragon-patterned black gold he had already seized?

Yet this young Daoist priestess's gaze turned to the three remaining stones; Fang Yu had chosen five stones, two of which had already yielded rare treasures—what wonders would the next three stones reveal?

Dao Yi Sacred Sect would likely suffer heavy losses this time.

Many elders and youths had not realized it—they kept speaking around Fang Yu, trying to drown him with tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of catties of source, hoping to force him to sell the dragon-patterned black gold sword.

"This is not urgent—there are still three stones."

Seeing so many vying for it, Fang Yu smiled and said, "After these three stones are opened, we'll talk."

"Indeed, there are still three stones."

"The first two stones yielded such rarities—what will the next three reveal?"

"This peerless genius must have profound insight into stone-reading—could he be a Source Heaven Master?"

"Source Heaven Master? That's impossible; in the history of the Eastern Wilderness, Source Heaven Masters have appeared, but none became one until mid-life; though Fang Yu has talent, his age makes it impossible for him to have reached Source Heaven Master status—right now, only a few Source Earth Masters exist in the Eastern Wilderness."

"Indeed, even a Source Earth Master is extraordinary—wherever they go, they are respected. Such beings can perceive the mysteries within sources and unearth many treasures."

"He's going to open the remaining stones? I'd very much like to see it."

"Today will be a major sensation, and I'm right here—about to witness this grand event! What a tremendous opportunity!"

After Fang Yu spoke, whether young geniuses or white-haired elders, all could only temporarily suppress their desires and wait for Fang Yu to open the remaining three stones.

At the same time, a burning eagerness rose in their hearts—if the remaining three stones still yielded rarities, their options would multiply.

All eyes fixed on Fang Yu; he remained calm, reaching out with a single hand to seize all three remaining stones at once, as chaotic qi surged forth.

"Damn, what source art is this? To cut three stones at once? I've never seen such reckless arrogance in all my life."

"Truly eye-opening, astonishing—since ancient times, everyone cutting stones has been cautious, terrified of a single wrong cut; yet he dares to cut three at once."

"Indeed, skill breeds boldness. I want to see what he can cut out simultaneously."

Those who had arrived were no longer just elders and ancient sages from sacred sects—some source-art practitioners had also come; now, seeing Fang Yu cut like this, they found it inconceivable and deeply jealous.

Under all eyes, the three stones were wrapped in chaotic qi; from one stone came a crisp sound, like a dragon's roar echoing through heaven, reverberating in everyone's ears, as a mysterious aura spread forth.

"Dragon qi—dragon qi has burst out!"

Many widened their eyes: from the cut stone, strands of dragon-shaped qi leaked out—strangely eerie.

Soon, more aura emerged from that stone: a dragon pearl, the size of a bowl, dark blue in hue, without radiance, yet wreathed in swirling dragon qi, as if something within were about to break free.

"This is... a dragon pearl?!"

"Yes, it's a dragon pearl—a rare treasure born of heaven and earth."

"This dragon pearl likely nurtures a true dragon; once hatched and grown, it could protect an entire sacred sect!"

Everyone erupted in excitement; only the old Daoist priestess of Dao Yi Sacred Sect showed no smile, and the young female saint of Dao Yi Sacred Sect remained expressionless.

"Hurry, I can't wait—cut out the peerless treasure already!"

"I desperately want to see the young dragon emerge!"

Everyone urged him on; even the Imperial Prince of Da Xia and the white-robed little nun abandoned their composure, as did Jin Chixiao, heir of the Golden Clan of the Northern Plains.

Fang Yu remained unmoved; he had already recognized it as a dragon pearl, but it could never nurture a true dragon—this world, aside from the ancient celestial dragon cub he brought, held no other true dragons.

Of course, if this dragon pearl reached the Eternal Life Realm and was nourished by the Eightfold Pagoda's Eight Dragon Qi, perhaps it might transform into a true dragon.

This dragon pearl floated within the chaos, while another stone underwent a strange transformation—mystical, melodious tones emerged from within the stone, leaving all stunned.

"One stone yielded a dragon pearl—now another stone emits melodious tones..."

"How on earth did Fang Yu select this stone? I can't even imagine it."

"Look, that piece of ore has changed."

Everyone watched tensely as the ore split open, revealing a jade cocoon, about the size of a fist, glowing with crystalline radiance, its interior unknown.

"Another cocoon—last time the second stone birthed the Dragon Pattern Black Gold Sword; what will this one birth?"

As people murmured, a wondrous sound arose—a celestial melody that intoxicated the soul, making hearts yearn to sink into it.

"This is Exalted Linglong—what a pity, born in the wrong age."

The jade cocoon cracked open, revealing an object that shot forth nine-colored radiance, perfectly round and naturally formed, with nine apertures that sang when touched by wind.

This music was profoundly mysterious, drawing listeners into rapture; upon close listening, it carried an almost demonic power.

It was entirely crystalline, exquisitely beautiful and dazzling, like the most precious treasure on earth.

An old man, seeing this marvel, sighed and shook his head: "What a pity—it was born in the wrong age, in the mortal realm."

"Elder, what is this?"

Many did not know what it was, not even some elderly sages.

"This is Exalted Linglong. If nourished by immortal qi, it can inscribe fragments of the Dao's markings—it is a celestial scripture born of heaven and earth. But no immortal qi exists in this world to nourish it; in the end, it can only become a treasure like a musical instrument, unrelated to cultivation."

The elderly man of great origin spoke.

"Exalted Linglong? I've heard of it, but never seen it—never expected to see it today."

Some elders were greatly shocked; they too had heard of Exalted Linglong—this marvel, if nourished by immortal qi, could become a celestial scripture, a heavenly book that automatically etched patterns of heaven and earth—but now that this treasure had reached the mortal realm, it was born in the wrong age.

"What a waste—it could have been an ancient classic, possibly even an immortal scripture!"

"An immortal scripture lies before us, yet what a pity—it's in the mortal world."

"But Fang Yu is truly terrifying—he has advanced too far, too far in Source Art, beyond imagination! The first stone yielded a divine herb, the second yielded Dragon Pattern Black Gold, the third yielded Long Zhu, and now within the fourth Long Zhu emerges Exalted Linglong, an immortal scripture!"

"Even a Source Heaven Master here might not achieve such feats."

No one was unmoved; no one felt no regret—especially since the fourth stone had yielded Exalted Linglong, a celestial scripture of the Dao, a tremendous immortal fortune.

Fang Yu's expression shifted; he directly sent the Exalted Linglong into the Chaos Tower.

Others had no immortal qi; this world had no immortal qi—but he did.

Pure Yang qi—the Pure Yang Pills themselves were the Xu Yuan Qi of the Eternal Life Realm's immortal realm, worthy of being called immortal qi. Fang Yu had brought a hundred million Pure Yang Pills; with a mere motion, a torrent of Pure Yang Xu Yuan Qi enveloped the Exalted Linglong, nourishing the treasure.

This was indeed a supreme treasure.

Nourishing Exalted Linglong with immortal realm Xu Yuan Qi could allow it to inscribe the Great Dao of heaven and earth—if it inscribed even fragments of space or time laws, this would be an extraordinary gain.

For Fang Yu, the value of Exalted Linglong surpassed even Dragon Pattern Black Gold.

Fang Yu directly took possession of the Exalted Linglong, leaving many elders and holy maidens who wished to gaze longer deeply regretful.

"Fang Daofriend, could you sell me the Exalted Linglong? I shall repay you handsomely."

A beautiful woman, exuding a faint exotic fragrance, secretly whispered to Fang Yu, her voice as soft as intoxicating spring breeze.