Chapter 1863: Forbidden Zone Domain

An earth-shattering explosion ripped through the air. The power contained within that punch was unimaginable; the moment all the flame energy burst onto the surface of the middle-aged woman's petrified body, the soul imprint she had just manifested instantly shattered.

Time seemed to slow down at that moment. Xu Yang and Po Xiao fixed their gazes on the newly formed petrified body as it began to crumble once more, and on the fragmented soul imprint that had just taken a direct hit from the Dragon Soul's punch.

"Oh no, Mr. Xu Yang, I'm afraid our worst fears have come true. This woman had absolutely no power to resist Long Kun's fatal blow. She intended to use the Dragon Soul's power to destroy her own soul. Why would she do such a thing?" Po Xiao's question burst forth hysterically.

Only Xu Yang, who remained calm, had already found the answer. As he felt the middle-aged woman's soul essence shatter, his phantom body, which had been left beside the Return Tablet, returned to his soul world, bringing the final answer Xu Yang had been contemplating. The Return Tablet completely cracked at the very moment the woman's imprint shattered.

Xu Yang's face showed a look of sudden realization.

"So that's it. All the answers have been revealed. The cracking of the Return Tablet signifies the true meaning of the 'Lost' in the Lost Mountain Range. The Return Tablet, though 'lost,' still offered a path to return. Now that the tablet has shattered, I believe the truly terrifying power sleeping in this imperial forbidden zone has only just awakened."

Indeed, everything was slowly unfolding according to Xu Yang's prediction. As the Return Tablet completely crumbled, the terrifying power hidden deep within the earth's veins quietly awakened.

The middle-aged woman's soul world completely collapsed, and all the scenes of the illusory space rapidly caved in. It was only then that Xu Yang and the other two could clearly see the surrounding real-world scenery. Unbeknownst to them, they had arrived at the deepest forbidden zone of the entire mountain range.

This was an enormous valley, and before them, accompanied by continuously trembling telluric waves, a terrifying power, seemingly capable of devouring everything, continuously extended from the depths of the earth's veins. At the same time, right in the center of the huge valley before them, a towering ancient tree, hundreds of meters high, slowly emerged from the depths of the trembling earth.

What greatly astonished the trio was that in the very center of this colossal tree, a gigantic human face abruptly appeared. And the facial features of this face were exactly like those of the Emperor of the Empire.

"What! It's His Majesty the Emperor? Boss, what in the world is going on?" Long Kun was so scared his eyes nearly popped out. He speculated that if Qing Ya were there, she would be equally astonished by this scene.

Including Xu Yang, these three were the only ones in the entire team who had seen the old emperor's true face. But even Xu Yang hadn't expected to see a second face identical to the old emperor's in the Lost Mountain Range, especially in a form completely merged with this towering ancient tree.

"You audacious fools dared to shatter the soul essence of Our Empress! I will make all of you pay with your lives for her! And I'll start with you, the instigator!" Clearly, the towering ancient tree's first target of attack was Long Kun, who had just attacked personally.

"Heh heh, do you think your size means you can do whatever you want in front of me? Now, I am a true Phoenix!" Before Long Kun could finish speaking, an immensely thick branch violently slammed down from above. The cross-sectional diameter of this colossal branch alone exceeded one meter.

To be honest, with his strength further advanced, Long Kun was even more eager to display his powerful combat abilities. Therefore, for a level of confrontation he would normally have to weigh carefully, this time Long Kun gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and without any hesitation, concentrated his powerful flame energy and charged directly forward to meet it head-on.

Not far behind him, Xu Yang had barely uttered "Be careful" when Long Kun's defenses were instantly breached. The colossal branch, imbued with unimaginable terrifying power, shattered the protective barrier of Long Kun's Phoenix True Fire in just one encounter, directly blasting his body over a hundred meters away.

Long Kun's entire body became uncontrollably airborne, bouncing around on the jungle floor behind him like a broken sack. He finally crashed heavily at the base of a huge tree, immediately coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"What terrifying power! This guy superficially appears to be a plant-type lifeform, but the power contained within its branches is almost that of a true ancient beast. It's hard to imagine where such terrifying force comes from. However, although he looks a bit battered, Long Kun isn't seriously hurt. After all, his combat capabilities have indeed improved after yet another phoenix nirvana."

Seeing this behemoth about to launch a second attack on the fallen Long Kun, Xu Yang, as the leader, could no longer stand by. He let out a cold snort and then stepped into the air. Transforming into a blur, he immediately blocked the second wave of momentum from the behemoth's colossal branch descending from the sky. Xu Yang's method was equally simple: he lightly waved his hand, and an invisible light spread out from within his body.

It was like colorless, formless ripples disappearing into the void, but the influence generated by this intangible and formless energy wave was enough to astonish even the towering behemoth before him! The two forces collided in the void for one round. Xu Yang surprisingly gained the upper hand, and the opponent's colossal branch was forced to temporarily halt its attack rhythm due to the terrifying surge of power from Xu Yang.

"No wonder you are so audacious, daring to destroy the Empress's soul body. I suppose it is supported by you, a new generation prodigy of the human race. But I don't care what your identities or strengths are. Even if a true Martial God-level expert dares to harm the Empress, that is to make an enemy of the entire Lost Mountain Range."

Xu Yang stood proudly in the void, unleashing his full power, showing no sign of inferiority. He scoffed at the towering ancient tree. "If you want to fight, I, Xu Yang, am ready anytime. But before we strike, I think it's necessary for both sides to clarify the truth of the matter. First, as the ruler of the Lost Mountain Range's forbidden zone, why do you possess a face identical to the Emperor of the Empire?"

As soon as Xu Yang asked his question, the chilling aura around the towering ancient tree seemed to grow even denser.

"So you were sent by that dog in the imperial palace. I had originally thought that such powerful strength as yours was a rare talent for the entire human martial arts world. If I personally eliminated that guy who excels at using flames to avenge the Empress, I might have considered sparing the two of you. But now that you've been sent by that dog, there's nothing left to discuss. Let's all be buried together here with the Empress!"