Chapter 587: Forbidden Zone History

Black and White Impermanence are cultivating Taoism, and Meng Po is practicing Buddhism. It appears that the major Underworld Deities are all beginning their proper cultivation journeys.

This is only natural.

The Underworld is destined to flourish. And what if, in the future, the Three Realms rebel with malicious intent and attempt to invade the Underworld?

The final boss can't just appear right away, can it?

Isn't it common for numerous peerless powerhouses to emerge before the ultimate boss?

Given this setup, as the opposing forces leverage the surging tide of Buddhism and Taoism to achieve immense success and skyrocket, our own side must naturally capitalize on this cosmic trend and make significant advancements.

It seems that Meng Po, Black and White Impermanence, and others should be allowed to descend to the mortal realm for experience.

"After all, when I was not yet a god, there were no gods in the world... But when it reaches its peak, the immortal path will be severed, and for eons, there will be no immortals in the mortal realm... It would be normal if they were to truly attack." Xu Zhi sighed softly. After some contemplation, he concluded that he indeed needed to strengthen his subordinate forces.

"Meng Po... resolve your issues yourselves. If you have time, you could enter reincarnation for some experience." Xu Zhi advised Shangguan Man before standing up.

"Are you leaving?" Meng Po asked.

"I'm going to the mortal realm," Xu Zhi replied.

Ultimately, he needed to release some radiant cultivation resources into the mortal realm.

After all, how can one cultivate Buddhism without a divine source?

Balancing the professions is still necessary, not for the sake of the players, but to enable the light source system to emerge and demonstrate potential comparable to the true qi system.

After Meng Po departed, Xu Zhi pondered for a moment.

"As for these radiant sources..." Xu Zhi extended his hand. Numerous translucent tree sap residues, like orange-yellow, semi-transparent pebbles, floated up, imbued with a divine glow.

These were resins solidified from tree sap, commonly known as amber.

"Perhaps, I should place something special inside..." Xu Zhi gently rubbed his hand, and the amber pieces quickly melted into a semi-liquid.

He molded them into various rounded or flattened shapes.

Xu Zhi tossed in various biological remains: ancient beings adorned in diverse attire, radiating light, eternally imperishable.

"I'll also create some illusions to make these objects appear, which will both promote the development of Buddhism and prevent suspicion."

"Now that I've broken through to the mid-Heavenly Emperor stage, my inner world has expanded by three layers. The land and mountains within it have been stretched and torn. It's time for some ancient artifacts to manifest in the current era."

The Mortal Realm.

The earth trembled for several consecutive days.

Some land and mountains were torn open, resembling a crumpled piece of cloth, covered with trees and deeply fissured.

The formerly small world had become significantly vaster.

"According to ancient records, such an expansion occurred once before." A young woman sat by her window, gazing at the fissured land outside.

She wasn't exceptionally beautiful.

Her looks were merely above average, yet she exuded a unique heroic and graceful aura that stirred an inexplicable longing in men.

If Lord Yunzhong were here, he would surely recognize her unique temperament. This was the same woman named "Hero" who, in a past life, had planted a heart demon in him by standing unyielding before everyone; this was her reincarnation.

If Li Sansheng were present, he would instantly recognize her as the one he had painstakingly waited for across numerous lifetimes, only to miss her each time.

In this current life, Xu Yingluo was a woman from the Xushan clan, a tribe nestled deep within the mountains, living a tranquil life in a small town.

Many of her past lives had been similar.

Though her innate talent was formidable, her personality, like her abilities, was as fluid and yielding as water. Without external pressure, she lacked motivation, preferring to live a quiet life.

Thus, this figure, so deeply etched into Lord Yunzhong's memory and one of the oldest reincarnated beings, still remained in an unremarkable state, achieving no great feats and living her life in the mortal realm.

Xu Yingluo took a deep breath.

"Three days ago, messengers from various imperial courts used their innate abilities to spread a message across the entire land, warning us not to venture outside. They said that these newly torn and expanded lands seemed as if ancient territories had been deliberately folded up and were only now fully unfolding. The earth has expanded by three layers."

"Our era has undergone a dramatic change."

"Within these lands, many terrifying phenomena have appeared, emitting dreadful light. Most living beings have perished, and those that survived have begun to mutate and deform... The major mortal dynasties have already declared these areas forbidden zones."

These forbidden zones harbored numerous unknown, mutated creatures and mysterious phenomena.

Some claimed they were ancient divine mountains, burial grounds for the remains of gods.

Others claimed they were remnants of an ancient war that had shattered the entire land, rendering it a perilous wasteland, which was then sealed and folded by an unknown entity with immense power. For reasons unknown, these long-sealed lands had now been unveiled!

Furthermore, recent reports suggested that even a Great Emperor had met a bloody end within.

A Great Emperor!

Throughout the entire mortal realm, the number of Great Emperors born in recent years was certainly not large. Each ruled a section of the mortal land, possessing unparalleled grandeur and the ability to challenge celestials—the strongest beings in the mortal world. Yet, one of these supreme figures had simply vanished without a trace, like a pebble dropped into the ocean, leaving no ripple behind.

"Mother, I'm going to check the mountains," Xu Yingluo said, looking down at her mother on the sickbed.

Her mother, the village shaman, possessed formidable combat prowess, but a few days prior, when the earth fissured and the mountains trembled, she sustained severe injuries while attempting to save others.

"You mustn't go."

The pale-faced woman spoke, clutching her hand with intense worry. "The earth has been torn apart. According to the imperial messengers who flew overhead, the entire mortal realm has expanded by three times its area, and these new sections are all forbidden zones, inhabited by indescribable life forms... Leaving our town now would be a dead end."

The earth's tearing and expansion had fragmented the land into disconnected sections. Many original routes were severed by mysterious forbidden zones, and their remote town was directly cut off by one such zone, trapping them within the mountain range.

"It has to be explored sooner or later. The entire imperial court is in disarray, and waiting for them to clear a path for us is unrealistic. Our town cannot remain trapped here." She bid farewell to her family, slung her bow and arrows over her back, summoned a few of the town's stronger hunters, and strode purposefully into the mountains.

As they ventured deeper into the mountains, an eerie feeling pervaded the air.

The surroundings were shrouded in a dreary gray haze. Trees grew gnarled and twisted, and some even showed signs of mutation. Many animals were nowhere to be seen.

The group pressed on. The deeper they went into the mountains, the more a terrifying atmosphere enveloped the land, causing the surrounding hunters to look around with alarm.

"You... you're bleeding from your nose."

Suddenly, one hunter pointed at another, trembling uncontrollably. "Your ear is also..."

"Me?" The other hunter froze, reacting slowly as he quietly touched his nose and ears. His palm came away stained crimson. His eyes widened instantly, and an unstoppable dread crept over him.

"Leave quickly! This place is ominous," Xu Yingluo snarled, urging them to depart at once.

"What about you?"

"It's fine. I feel I can still manage," she said, pursing her lips. She sent the hunters away and continued walking forward.

"Alas, this is what it means to lack talent. Without it, one is born weak and can never grow stronger in their lifetime... If even those without talent could cultivate, that would be wonderful."

The surroundings were shrouded in a hazy gray, as if they had entered an ancient burial ground. Though the foliage was vividly green, a profound sense of unease permeated the air.

"It seems all the animals here have died this way... Plants appear to have higher resistance to this ominous aura." She looked down and touched the soil, then cautiously surveyed her surroundings before continuing forward.

Suddenly, she spotted a cave in the distance.

Just as she was about to examine it, she saw four figures in black and white attire in the distance, seemingly emerging from a distant era. They were, astonishingly, four Great Emperors, bearing a sedan chair that exuded an overwhelmingly terrifying aura. Wisps of imperial might emanating from within the sedan chair crushed the eons, as if it stood supreme over all creation.

The four Great Emperors slowly proceeded, carrying the sedan chair while scattering white spirit money into the sky.

"What is this?"

Terrified, Xu Yingluo recoiled several steps, quickly huddling in a corner. "Four Great Emperors, whose combat power defies the heavens, serving as sedan bearers? What kind of terrifying ancient being could be inside that sedan chair?"

The four bearers slowly entered the depths of the cave.

The forbidden zone was truly terrifying.

It was enough to scare one out of their wits; her hairs stood on end.

She sensed that the one seated inside must be a Great Emperor, as she had once been fortunate enough to see one and remembered their aura. Yet, how could it be merely a Great Emperor sitting in there?

Such an aura could crush the ages, and yet four Great Emperors were carrying a sedan chair for it?

Not daring to enter, she quietly lay at the cave's entrance, watching the mysterious entity recede. Only a faint voice, echoing from countless eons past, reached her: "What an ill-fated time to be born, an era where the immortal path is severed. I can only, with my fellow Daoists, re-establish an immortal path."

Her eyes, clouded with confusion, widened abruptly.

"Could it be, it really is a Great Emperor, but how could a Great Emperor be this defying of the heavens..."

When she opened her eyes again, there was no sedan chair or four bearers.

Instead, deep within the cave, an oval, orange-yellow, transparent amber lay quietly on the rock. Encased within it was a snow-white severed hand, clutching a string of wooden prayer beads, emitting a terrifying and oppressive aura.

"The hand of an unknown entity, clutching a mysterious string of beads, sealed within an ancient divine source?" Goosebumps spread over her skin. Such a terrifying aura, and it was merely an arm?