Chapter 544: Chapter 543: Immediately See Through

Ye Fan walked into the Heavenly Element Palace. It was like an independent world unfolding before him—a truly spectacular sight!

However, the moment Ye Fan stepped inside, the palace bells rang out abruptly.

At that moment, he saw an incredibly refined statue, which he knew must be the Ancestor of Tianyuan. To his surprise, the powerful figure resembled a scholar, something he had not expected at all.

Standing before the statue, Ye Fan was awestruck by its elegant craftsmanship. Below it, the names of those in the Ancestor of Tianyuan’s lineage were recorded, and he committed them to memory.

"Who is there?" a deep voice echoed.

Could there still be living people here?

Ye Fan was shocked. The sudden voice had startled him.

Ye Fan replied, "Junior Ye Fan from the Spirit Suppressing Domain, here to pay respects to the Ancestor of Tianyuan!"

He immediately announced his name. Regardless of who this voice belonged to, it was clearly a being capable of slaying gods and vanquishing demons. He had to make his identity known. Otherwise, if he were mistaken for an enemy and attacked, the consequences would be tragic.

The voice spoke leisurely, "So, you are from the Spirit Suppressing Domain. I fear you did not come here with pure intentions."

Ye Fan responded, "Senior, would you be willing to reveal yourself?"

He was eager to discover the source of this voice.

"I am from this place. I am everywhere here," it told Ye Fan.

"Come with me."

Ye Fan had thought the man was just being mysterious, but to his surprise, he was actually asked to follow. That made things much simpler.

Ye Fan inquired, "How am I to find you, Senior?"

Though the other party had told him to follow, Ye Fan was speechless. Since the man hadn’t appeared, was he supposed to follow thin air?

The voice spoke again. "Do you see the iron chain at your feet, connected to the statue? Just follow the chain, and you will find me."

Ye Fan followed it into the darkest part of the palace.

The area was initially pitch-black, but as he approached, torches on the walls instantly lit up. He then saw a man shackled by iron chains. The man’s hair was disheveled, and it was impossible to tell how long he had been imprisoned there, but it was clear his life force was at its absolute weakest.

Isn’t this supposed to be the tomb of the Ancestor of Tianyuan? Why would someone be imprisoned here? Ye Fan was puzzled. None of this was what he had expected.

He asked, "Senior, who are you?"

"I am my Master’s Tomb Guardian."

The man said this while looking down, but Ye Fan knew this was a communication through Divine Thought.

So, Ye Fan asked again, "If you are the Tomb Guardian for the Ancestor of Tianyuan, why are you imprisoned here?"

At that, the man said, "It is a very long story. Do you wish to hear it?"

"Yes!"

Ye Fan had not previously been one for idle chatter, but now it was quite the opposite. He enjoyed listening to the stories of others, and he was curious to hear this man’s tale. He immediately sat down in front of him.

"I am You Ming, one of my Master’s disciples. Years ago, when our Master passed away, my senior brother, Song Mu, and I buried him here.

"I believed my senior brother respected our Master deeply and would never dare to do anything untoward, so I let my guard down around him. I never imagined he would become so greedy that he’d want to extract the Divine Steel from our Master’s body.

"Three years later, we finally finished constructing the Tomb Palace. On the day our Master was to be laid to rest, my senior brother handed me a jug of fine wine, saying we had worked hard for three years and deserved a drink to relax.

"I trusted him completely. I took the jug from his hands and drank it all in one go, never realizing that drink would seal my doom. He had tampered with the wine. I collapsed right in front of him. When I awoke, I was already trapped here.

"My most trusted senior brother imprisoned me here for thousands of years, all because he coveted our Master’s possessions! Thousands of years have passed. Now, with your arrival, this secret can finally be revealed!" he said, his voice laced with resentment.

Hearing that the Divine Steel might have already been taken, Ye Fan felt a surge of anger. Does this mean all my efforts were in vain? This was not an outcome he was willing to accept.

He asked You Ming, "Senior, what about the Divine Steel?"

This was his primary concern.

You Ming replied, "The Divine Steel was taken by him long ago. I want revenge! For myself and for our Master! So, I need your help!" he shouted at Ye Fan with all his might.

Ye Fan asked him, "What can I do to help you?"

You Ming said, "Help me break these shackles! Even if he has already ascended to the Divine Domain, I will hunt him down and get my revenge!"

His heart was filled with indignation, and his face burned with rage. It was clear his fury had reached its peak.

But Ye Fan was not one to act impulsively.

So, he asked, "What else did he take with him back then?"

"The Yuanhong Sword!"

"Is this it?!"

Ye Fan immediately presented the Yuanhong Sword. At the sight of it, the man finally roared, "What is your relationship to him?"

"None at all! I found this by accident," Ye Fan replied instantly.

"Quick! Use the Yuanhong Sword to cut the chains that bind me! I want my revenge!" he roared at Ye Fan.

But just then, Ye Fan said, "You’re lying."

"What do you mean?" the man demanded.

Ye Fan said, "I may not know what happened between you and your senior brother back then, but I know one thing for sure: you are lying to me."

"I’m not lying! In my current state, what reason would I have to lie to you?" You Ming said, displeased.

But Ye Fan continued, "Because from the moment I took out the Yuanhong Sword, you haven’t stopped staring at it. And the look in your eyes is one of pure greed.

"Also, this chain is connected to the statue. Near that statue, I saw a mural depicting the disciples of the Ancestor of Tianyuan. If you were really You Ming, I highly doubt Song Mu would have left you alive. Killing you would have been the safest way to ensure his secret was kept.

"In fact, there is no ’You Ming’ among the Ancestor of Tianyuan’s disciples. That name doesn’t appear on the mural at all. I may seem gullible, but please, don’t insult my intelligence," Ye Fan said mockingly.

"Hahaha! Truly remarkable! I never thought you’d see through my carefully crafted plan in a single glance!" You Ming burst into wild laughter.

He then added, "While some of what I said was false, I was truly framed!"

But Ye Fan shook his head. "You still underestimate my intelligence. Actually, there is a You Ming. I was just testing you. I’m surprised you have so little confidence in your own story."

"You little brat, you’re seeking death!"

He roared furiously at Ye Fan, astonished that after living for countless years, he was still being played for a fool by this young man. The humiliation gave him the sudden urge to swallow Ye Fan whole.