Chapter 44: Comprehending a Divine Ability

Behind the scenes of the auction house.

"Miss Murong is truly generous!"

"This is the first time I have ever laid eyes on such a wealthy patron; I am truly awe-struck!"

"Please inspect these items and see if there are any issues."

"If everything is in order, we can finalize the transfer."

Hall Master Wang personally stepped forward to complete the handover with Murong Qian. To him, such a major patron was quite literally the God of Wealth!

Murong Qian did not even glance at the items, stowing them all away into her storage pouch before carrying the massive pile directly over to Ye Fan.

"Young Master Ye, as I said, to make amends to you, I am giving all of these to you!"

Ye Fan stood frozen. In all his years, this was the first time someone had handed him such a massive trove of gifts in a single breath.

One had to realize that every single item here had been purchased at an exorbitant price.

Aside from the rare heavenly treasures he desperately needed, there were numerous magical implements and medicinal pills as well.

"What is the matter? Do you find it too little?"

"If it is not enough, I shall buy out tomorrow's auction as well!"

If anyone else had spoken those words, one would naturally assume they were merely boasting.

Yet Ye Fan harbored not the slightest doubt regarding Murong Qian's financial might at this moment.

He immediately waved his hand in refusal. "No, an undeserved reward is not to be accepted. I cannot take these things."

Murong Qian seemed to have anticipated that Ye Fan would respond precisely thus.

She immediately declared, "Is that so? What a pity, then. These things are of no use to me anyway, so I suppose I shall simply give them away to random strangers."

Hearing that she intended to give them away indiscriminately, the corner of Ye Fan's mouth twitched slightly. This was, to put it mildly, aggressively extravagant.

Had he known, he would have simply accepted them. However, the words of refusal had already been spoken aloud—could he possibly ask for them back now?

He was, after all, the dignified Young Master of the soaring Firmament Sect; he could not simply cast aside his pride and face!

The subtle change in Ye Fan's expression was sharply captured by Murong Qian, who suddenly let out a soft chuckle. "How about this, then? I shall not give these to you for nothing."

"Let us treat this as the protection fee I am paying. The items remain yours, but in exchange, the soaring Firmament Sect must protect my personal safety!"

"Young Master Ye, what do you think of this arrangement?"

It had to be said that Murong Qian was well-versed in the ways of the world.

Though it appeared she was merely offering Ye Fan a graceful way out, she was actually achieving her own objective in the process.

Had it been the former Ye Fan, he would have rejected the offer without a second thought, for those items had been entirely useless to him back then.

Presently, however, circumstances were entirely different. Not only did he need these items, but he was also in dire need of a vast quantity of them.

For the time being, he had no choice but to agree. It was not out of any fond affection for Murong Qian, but purely a matter of mutual benefit.

"Since you put it this way, Miss Murong, I shall accept."

"You may rest completely assured. As long as you remain within this Northwest Territory, I guarantee that not a single soul will be able to lay a finger on you."

On this matter, Ye Fan possessed supreme confidence. Given the soaring Firmament Sect's influence within the Northwest Territory, truly no rival could match them.

"I knew Young Master Ye would not refuse."

"However, addressing me as 'Miss' feels rather distant. We are now in an employer-employee relationship, after all."

"I am the employer. How about this—from now on, you may call me Agu. That is my childhood nickname."

Ye Fan nodded. "As you wish. It is merely a form of address."

...

Within Ye Fan's chambers at the soaring Firmament Sect.

Having acquired the rare heavenly treasures gifted by Murong Qian, Ye Fan had hurried straight back to the sect.

With four demigod powerhouses standing guard for him, he immediately entered secluded meditation to cultivate.

As stalk after stalk of rare heavenly treasure was swallowed, the Heaven-Swallowing Sacred Body activated at full tilt.

It frantically absorbed every wisps of spiritual Qi, transforming it into surging spiritual power that poured straight into his Dantian.

After absorbing over a dozen stalks consecutively, the bottleneck blocking Ye Fan's cultivation realm finally began to loosen.

A surge of joy washed over him, and he decisively accelerated the speed of his absorption.

Another five medicinal herbs were ingested. Once their medicinal potency was fully converted, the boundary of his cultivation realm shattered completely.

At that instant, Ye Fan felt his mind go entirely blank, plunging his entire being into an indescribably wondrous state.

This condition persisted for a full three minutes.

Three minutes later, Ye Fan found himself standing amidst a vast and boundless expanse of heaven and earth.

Not far ahead of him, a supremely ferocious spirit beast was charging straight in his direction.

With a mere flick of his conscious intent, four translucent barriers suddenly materialized around the spirit beast, sealing its entire body within.

No matter how frantically the beast struggled, it utterly failed to break free from the confines of the barrier.

This spectacle left even Ye Fan profoundly shocked.

Everything he had just done was completely unconscious behavior, as though some mysterious force were guiding him.

At that moment, four golden characters manifested within his mind: * imprisoning the earth with a single stride*.

A flash of comprehension struck Ye Fan. This must be what was known as a divine supernatural power.

Once one's cultivation reached the Deity Transformation Realm, there was a probability of comprehending one's own unique divine power.

The might of a divine power depended entirely upon the innate talent of the cultivator himself.

Possessing the bloodline of the Heaven-Swallowing Sacred Body, Ye Fan's natural talent went without saying.

*Imprisoning the earth with a single stride* was the very first divine power he had comprehended.

He had witnessed its might firsthand just now; although everything had occurred within his meditation, he knew that in actual combat, this divine power would grant him invincibility against any opponent of the same realm!

A few minutes later, Ye Fan awoke from his cultivation.

The resources he had obtained this time successfully propelled him past the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, advancing him into the early stage of the Deity Transformation Realm.

While breaking through a realm was certainly a joyous occasion, it also brought a touch of anxiety to Ye Fan.

As his cultivation realm grew progressively higher, the cultivation resources he required multiplied correspondingly.

Even the entire foundation of the soaring Firmament Sect might not be sufficient for him to squander all by himself.

"Young Sovereign, a report from the scouts."

Outside the bedchamber door, a demigod expert reported respectfully.

As it turned out, ever since that fateful martial arts tournament arena where Ye Fan had sensed the aura of foreign extraterrestrial demons within Lin逸, he had dispatched operatives to keep a close watch on him in secret.

"Has any intelligence been gathered?"

Ye Fan cared deeply about this matter and questioned the scout immediately.

"According to the scouts' intelligence, ever since Lin Yi was expelled from the sect by Chu Zhongtian, he was arranged by Chu Ling'er to stay in a small courtyard."

"Throughout this period, Chu Ling'er has been secretly providing for him."

"However, it is rumored that someone once spotted him heading toward the Desolate Bone Crypts. It remains unverified whether this rumor is true or false."

"As for his cultivation method, it differs in no way from his past practices, and all his actions appear entirely normal."

Hearing this, Ye Fan furrowed his brow. He was well aware of the cunning nature of extraterrestrial demons.

Though Lin Yi had displayed no abnormalities, Ye Fan could not shake the feeling that something was amiss.

He even suspected that a small vanguard of extraterrestrial demons had already infiltrated their ranks.

Yet, without sufficient evidence, it was best not to stir up too great a commotion, lest they alert the enemy before striking.

For the present, he had no choice but to bide his time.

"I understand. Tell the scouts to maintain their surveillance and watch him closely."

"This matter is of utmost importance. The moment he displays even the slightest anomalous behavior, report to me immediately."

Ye Fan knew that fateful day would arrive sooner or later. He had already witnessed the horrors of a mortal purgatory and would never allow such a tragedy to repeat itself.

Clearly, his current cultivation at the early stage of the Deity Transformation Realm was still insufficient to combat the extraterrestrial demons.

He needed to venture out and seek far greater resources.