Chapter 38: A Peerless Treasure

"I am Yun Shang of the Luoxia Mountain lineage, and a close friend of Senior Brother Zhang Chong. Young Li, if you need anything, just ask me."

Just as Liu Shi was about to speak, a voice rang out first.

Li Yao followed the sound and saw a man in his thirties, dressed in white, with a handsome face and a mature air.

"Are you being a bit too cautious, kid? The stone-gambling workshop has its rules. Even if you weren't a disciple of a holy land, no one would dare lay a hand on someone who cut open a treasure within these walls."

Yun Shang looked at Li Yao with a strange expression, unable to fathom why such a young man was so... prudent. He had been there for a while, observing from the shadows, so he had witnessed everything that had just unfolded. Li Yao’s caution left him both amused and perplexed; most disciples of the Yaoguang Holy Land were arrogant and high-handed when they went out, unlike Li Yao, who was incredibly careful.

Upon hearing that Yun Shang hailed from Luoxia Mountain—which had good relations with the Rising Sun Divine Island—and was a close friend of Zhang Chong, Li Yao immediately relaxed. As for being teased for his timidity, Li Yao didn't take offense, as he knew it was simply the truth.

Li Yao cupped his hands and said, "I hope you will forgive my excessive caution, Elder Yun."

"It's fine. Everyone has a different nature; I understand," Yun Shang waved his hand. "You can rest assured and continue cutting the stone now. I must admit, I am also curious what kind of treasure could make you so wary."

Li Yao shook his head. "Disciple felt a terrifying murderous intent emanating from within the source stone. It likely contains a lethal force, and I dared not proceed rashly. I hope Elder Yun will provide protection."

He did not hide the truth and confessed exactly what he had sensed. The surrounding crowd was shocked, and some even took a few steps back.

"Are you certain?" Even Yun Shang grew serious, though he did not think Li Yao was making a fuss over nothing. In the business of stone-cutting, one could never be sure what might emerge. Having presided over the workshop for a long time, Yun Shang had seen many bizarre occurrences, even witnessing a cutter killed by a curse trapped within a source stone.

Li Yao nodded solemnly. "I am certain. There is a powerful killing intent in that stone; just standing near it makes my skin crawl."

Without further ado, Yun Shang took action, sealing off the space. Divine holy power surged like an ocean, forming a brilliant screen of light that enveloped the area.

"Brother, is it really possible to cut out something rare?" Liu Shi asked, trembling with excitement. In other contexts, a "great omen of disaster" might not be good, but in stone-gambling, the more ominous the aura, the more heaven-defying the treasure often proved to be.

"I am fairly confident," Li Yao replied.

Hearing this, the onlookers grew even more convinced, and those who hadn't stepped back earlier retreated a few paces.

This time, Li Yao was extremely focused. Holding his silver blade, he gently scraped at the source stone, peeling away the outer layer bit by bit. He moved with agonizing slowness, terrified of damaging whatever lay inside.

*Crack.*

As the final stroke of his blade fell, the entire stone shell fractured, revealing an object the size of a cocoon—no bigger than an egg, perhaps even slightly smaller.

A brilliant, blinding radiance erupted, as piercing as the sun. Thousands of divine rays shot out like golden needles, so dazzling that people were forced to squint, their eyes watering uncontrollably.

Li Yao narrowed his eyes to observe closely. It was a bead, smaller than an egg, appearing almost ethereal. It didn't seem to be made of solid matter, but rather looked like a small, concentrated source of the most divine light. As the stone shell was completely removed, the orb of light did not fall; it hovered in mid-air, possessing a miraculous quality. It felt like a fundamental essence of heaven and earth, drawing one to reach out and touch it.

"This is... Divine Source!" someone gasped in disbelief.

"What? It’s truly Divine Source!"

"Heavens! A piece of Divine Source this large—the value is immeasurable!"

The eyes of everyone present turned bloodshot; the radiant glow of the Divine Source was so captivating that they could not tear their gaze away.

Li Yao’s heart skipped a beat. He had expected the contents to be extraordinary, but he had never dared to imagine it would be Divine Source. It was far too precious—a substance that never sank, containing the purest, most primordial essence of the world, inspiring a natural urge to bow before it.

To put it in perspective, a piece of Divine Source this size would be worth over a hundred thousand catties of standard 'source' crystals. Yet, no one would truly trade Divine Source for standard source, and even if they did, the market value would always involve a massive premium. To call such a treasure 'priceless' would be an understatement.

Li Yao reached out, unable to resist the urge to touch it, but his hand was stopped by a barrier that felt as immovable as a mountain.

"Have you lost your mind? You knew there was danger, yet you still reached out like that!" A voice echoed, and Li Yao instantly came to his senses, breaking into a cold sweat. He had forgotten his own warning; the temptation of the Divine Source had completely clouded his judgment.

"Thank you, Elder Yun," Li Yao said with sincere gratitude. Liu Shi, who had also been reaching out instinctively—driven by the primal longing of his very life force—was similarly jolted back to reality.

The temptation was immense; had this not been the Yaoguang stone-gambling workshop, there would undoubtedly have been people already killing for it.

"What is that?" someone suddenly shrieked, pointing at the Divine Source, as if seeing something even more unbelievable.

"Heavens! Look at the material! It appears to be... God-Marked Purple Gold!"

"That’s right! It is indeed the legendary material exclusive to the Great Emperors—God-Marked Purple Gold!"

The crowd was thrown into a further state of shock. Embedded within the glowing Divine Source was a sliver of metal the size of a fingertip. Every inch was translucent, shimmering with a purple light as brilliant as a diamond, etched with lines that appeared to have been carved by the hands of gods.

"This is the holy material for forging an Emperor's weapon! It is said that this celestial metal can naturally interact with the Great Dao and record the traces of ten thousand laws. If refined to the point of spiritual enlightenment, it can capture the runes of the Dao and allow one to listen to the voice of the Great Dao itself."

"A priceless treasure! This is the true priceless treasure—its value far exceeds that of the Divine Source!"

The crowd went mad, their eyes burning with a feverish intensity. At that moment, they were truly ready to risk their lives for it.

*BOOM!*

A powerful pressure swept across the entire Yaoguang stone-gambling workshop, causing the very void to ripple under the sheer force.

Yun Shang cast a cold, indifferent glance over the crowd. He said nothing, yet his presence spoke volumes. Everyone instantly calmed down; the reckless urge to fight vanished, and reason returned to their minds. No matter how much they craved the holy treasure, they dared not act rashly in the presence of a half-step Great Power.