Chapter 588: Mythical Forbidden Zone's Ancient Secret Revealed? (Two in One)

In the dark cave, she gazed at the pale severed hand, encased in ancient amber. The hand, with its elegant orchid-like gesture, clutched a string of prayer beads, appearing both exquisitely beautiful and terrifyingly eerie.

Lights and shadows flickered around, casting a myriad of colors.

Xu Yingluo felt as if she was hearing whispers from distant ages. A ghostly silhouette began to emerge from the severed arm.

In a trance, she seemed to witness an ancient, mysterious being from a time of distant mountains and rivers. It radiated light, its head adorned with knots of hair, as it stood towering in the heavens, one hand turning wooden beads, exuding an aura capable of crushing eternity.

"Some slumbering entities in the ancient restricted zones are stirring once more..."

"The most ancient among them originated from the chaotic era following the Great Cataclysm, a time when the path to immortality was severed – they were the defeated of that age. The more recent ones have been dormant since the last era and are now poised to emerge, causing turmoil. They seek to drain the life force of earthly beings, hoping to survive into the next epoch. There simply aren't enough powerful beings from current eras. They wish to replenish their strength to continue their slumber, accumulating enough brilliant individuals from successive eras. Once their numbers suffice, they aim to collectively step onto the path to immortality, striving for a sliver of immortal opportunity..."

What?!

Xu Yingluo's heart pounded furiously, and she couldn't help but be deeply horrified.

The sheer amount of information packed into that brief statement was overwhelming!

It directly revealed the entire truth behind ancient myths!

Ancient restricted zones weren't merely places of mysterious, incomplete corpses sealed in an unknown viscous substance; ancient forbidden entities also lived and slept within them?

They periodically emerged to drain the life from all earthly beings?

Causing great cataclysms in successive eras?

Xu Yingluo's mind exploded.

She suddenly had an incredibly strong premonition: these unfolding restricted zones were likely true battlefields from ancient times, where mere auras could obliterate mortals. This was why, in earlier years, this vast land had been folded and condensed into a small world by immense power. What was now revealed was the truly boundless ancient earth!

But those great beings, who seemingly folded these forbidden lands for the continuous prosperity of mortals, were actually herding them. These 'shepherds' could emerge periodically to slaughter all living beings! And now, with the sudden appearance of these restricted zones tearing the earth apart, could it be a sign that those ancient Grand Sages were awakening to reappear in the human world, bringing forth an apocalypse?

Staring at the entire gray, mysterious restricted zone, she felt utterly chilled, her heart filled with bitterness. She realized how many ancient monsters must be hidden within.

"Indeed, our history spans merely a few hundred years... Where did the previous human race go? All living beings from that era were devoured by the monsters in the restricted zones..."

Horrifying!

Too terrifying!

...Devoured an entire era?!

The thought of mysterious ancient beings, slumbering for countless eras, continuously consuming people in each epoch, barely clinging to existence while accumulating power and awaiting the opening of the path to immortality, filled her with dread.

And why, with the path to immortality severed, was it impossible to break through to the eighth realm of gods? This was another mystery!

At that moment, the vast voice continued its murmur.

"Should I truly obstruct those ancient entities in the restricted zones? As a sacred land of the Eastern Realm, our duty is to protect all living beings. Yet, they once told me with a smile that this is the norm: countless eons ago, when the path to immortality was not severed, if a Great Emperor wished to ascend, they would simply bloodbath all living beings to break through and become a lofty immortal god... Protecting all living beings – ancient deities never did such a thing; it was merely a belief held by us, their ridiculous descendants. We have truly forgotten much of history, acting as if we know everything. However, after the chaotic era, the path to immortality was severed, making ascension impossible. Consuming more people merely serves to grudgingly extend their slumbering lives. This is because our true names, which are our very essence, are held by that mysterious being of reincarnation. Only by reclaiming our true names can we attain immortality and achieve supreme freedom between heaven and earth..."

"They do not wish to die, nor do they dare to die, for if they perish, they will enter the underworld, fall into the hands of that forbidden entity, and be cast into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, losing all memories and ceasing to be themselves."

The voice seemed to transcend endless time and space: "The restricted zones are their places of slumber."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yingluo felt a chill run through her entire body.

She felt as if she was witnessing the bloodiest history of antiquity.

Regardless of whether the path to immortality was severed, ancient deities continuously consumed people? Their gazes cold, they devoured the beings who prostrated themselves and worshipped across the land?

That was the cruelest and bloodiest ancient era!

It was too cruel!

It was a myth of barbarity, like primitive beings devouring raw flesh and blood.

According to the implications, it seemed that later, a mysterious entity emerged in the most chaotic era, and with an unprecedented resolve, severed the path to immortality, preventing these Great Emperors from becoming immortals?

This was equally terrifying.

That most mysterious forbidden entity remained vaguely shrouded in mist and darkness, the ultimate puppeteer controlling successive eras.

Those forbidden entities were herding humans... and the entity of the Underworld was herding gods?

Just as Xu Yingluo shivered, pondering what had transpired in the subsequent era, the timeless murmuring voice echoed once more.

"They want us to ignore them. They emerge, slaughter a portion of living beings, accumulate power, and then return to slumber. In the future, we, too, will fall into slumber like them, and after a few eras of accumulation, our power should be sufficient..."

No!

Hearing this, Xu Yingluo was completely drawn in, unable to suppress a low growl of protest from within. She detected the indecision and helplessness in the voice.

If this being were to join them, or if successive eras continued to align with them, wouldn't the entire world be...

Her expression grew increasingly complex as she gazed at the severed hand.

What, then, happened later that led to the demise of this supreme being?

Did they lie dormant with those ancient beings, destroying eras, sleeping until they finally acted together, stepped onto the path to immortality, and confronted that terrifying ancient taboo, leading to their own defeat?

Or did they choose to fight against those ancient restricted zone entities, which led to their downfall?

Regardless, as she looked at the severed hand clutching the wooden beads, each bead like a turning historical wheel, she felt an immense desolation from the depths of time.

Mythical history, ancient eras.

This world of the Six Paths of Reincarnation was far from simple.

Previously, she had vaguely sensed the land was unusual when rumors of the Underworld, the Bridge of Forgetfulness, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation, describing the world's structure and rules, had secretly spread among the populace from unknown sources.

At this moment, the voice remained calm, imbued with the vast vicissitudes of time's passage.

"Ages quietly pass. I ask, is there a true immortal in this world?"

"Achieve immortality? I do not desire such blood-stained freedom... Before any of us could speak, Peerless God spoke. He was an unmatched God of Slaughter, a renowned tyrant of our era's divine dynasty. In a few years, he enslaved millions of citizens, erected a colossal imperial pass spanning ten thousand zhang, and built a Great Wall extending a thousand miles. Countless powerful cultivators were worked to death. He personally guarded the dark restricted zone, single-handedly fending off ancient entities at the imperial pass. Though those ancient beings had long slumbered and their strength waned, they remained immensely powerful, peerless prodigies of their respective eras."

"We couldn't bear to let it continue and jointly resisted. Fortunately, our grand era produced many talents, and Grand Sages of the present age successively took action, unleashing their Emperor Weapons, driving them back into the depths of the restricted zones. But our own lives are also drawing to an end..."

"Humanity, if no one advances to the Saint Realm, do not venture deep into the restricted zones, and do not seek out the path to immortality!"

"Remember this!"

A cold voice slowly reverberated.

She vaguely saw this being roar, transforming into a world-shattering divine rainbow, plummeting into the depths of the Nether Abyss, battling fiercely until blood stained the entire world.

At that moment, countless people wept.

It was as if the world's backbone had collapsed, the earth wailed, and hundreds of millions of common people prostrated themselves in mourning.

Had such a supreme being truly died?

She felt a tightness in her chest, and the images of an apocalyptic catastrophe made her want to weep uncontrollably. Her mind trembled violently, and a suffocating sensation enveloped her.

"Ancient ominous signs, mysterious restricted zones, immense terror, the severed path to immortality, the Saint Realm... and ancient taboos seeking to ascend, dyeing the sky with blood." Xu Yingluo gazed at the severed arm, murmuring with both tears and laughter,

"Every single word... truly sends shivers down one's spine. The amount of information contained within is simply too vast."

Her characteristic was water: benefiting all things without contention, yet becoming stronger when faced with strength.

"So this is some of the origin of the ancient restricted zones?"

Her expression grew cold. She knew this was the message that being had left for posterity.

"In an era where the path to immortality is severed, there's no way to become an immortal. So, within the Great Emperor realm, one can only explore to reach ultimate Great Emperor combat power, far surpassing ordinary Great Emperors. A realm between Emperor and Immortal, called Saint? A Saint?"

She vaguely had a premonition that if the path to immortality hadn't been severed, these ancient Grand Sages would have long since achieved immortality, and they would have been the kind of immortals who shone through all ages.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have survived through successive eras; ordinary Great Emperors absolutely could not achieve this.

These Grand Sages were not lacking in realm, but the path to immortality was severed. They could perhaps be called 'Mortal Immortals,' with combat power capable of defying the heavens!

"Now, the earth is tearing apart, and restricted zones are eerily reappearing in the present world. The ancient land is fully recovering. I fear that another great cataclysm is about to arise."

She slowly exhaled a breath.

She pondered, not despairing. Although the aura emanating from the mysterious amber was terrifying and unnerving, she felt she could just barely approach it.

"I need to find the power of the ancients."

She tried to gently touch the arm, but before she even got within three meters, she felt her hand rapidly decaying. She silently recoiled, stating coldly,

"Too terrifying, too overbearing... No wonder it rendered the entire area a dead zone. It's a mysterious ancient power of death, not related to our current talent-based lineage, but rather a method of cultivation."

"I cannot touch it now; I can only leave it here to study... It seems that people of our current era don't truly understand cultivation! We're merely reckless individuals relying on extraordinary talents!"

Not bad.

Xu Zhi silently observed the scene from the shadows.

Not only could he release these "divine sources" to allow people to cultivate in the radiated zones, but he could also complete historical narratives. The emergence of restricted zones was a form of long-term investment.

As for restricted zones consuming people in pursuit of immortality?

This was the most normal and logical framework for ancient myths, as it was inherently a direct way to acquire energy.

Many deities were like this.

Armin, too, had become a god and established the underworld by relying on the energy of living beings.

In the Great Luo Heaven, the Twelve Ancestral Witches and Emperor Qi also had to slaughter living beings to break through.

Even on the ancient lava lands, Caroline also "consumed" people, though in her case it was hundreds of millions of zombies.

That's why later, Mengmei, a modern person who didn't dismiss human lives, and who didn't take the concepts of these powerful beings and their extraordinary world for granted, respected equality, mutual assistance, and benevolence, unable to bear the suffering of the populace. When she developed the earth's dragon veins, Xu Zhi called it a cross-era development, a departure from the bloody mythical age of raw consumption. It shifted from "consuming living beings" to "consuming the incense of living beings," thereby pursuing a path of sustainable development.

"Grand Sage" was a new Celestial Emperor realm he created to categorize certain unique 'monsters.'

This included monsters with extremely high potential, like Medusa, and also beings like Dao Changsheng and Emperor Qi, who, at the same realm, could utterly defeat dozens of Celestial Emperors.

These were all Grand Sages.

Since there was no way for them to break through to immortality, he let them continuously explore and unearth the potential of the seventh realm. After all, with such extensive accumulation now, should they break through to immortality later, they would likely become invincible among eighth-tier immortal gods, which wouldn't hinder the world's potential development.

"This is for developing the 'Buddhist' path. The restricted zones are all radiation zones... One could even say that the 'Saint' realm is another new attempt at a cultivation system, building a solid foundation in this realm to see what future achievements it brings..."

Xu Zhi gazed at the astonished Xu Yingluo below, smiling faintly.

After all, the very concept of "ancient restricted zones from the mythical era" was enough to shock the entire world, driving people into a frenzy of fear and terror.

Often, a mere gentle push could transform the calm tide of history into a spectacular and brilliant mythical epoch.

"The grand curtain of the Buddhist, Daoist, and mythical eras has been fully raised."

Xu Zhi cast a downward glance at Xu Yingluo, let out a soft chuckle, and then his figure completely vanished into the deep shadows, as if he had never been there.

On the other side.

For several days, the various mortal dynasties across the human realm experienced intense tremors.

As various areas tore open, princes and great emperors traversed the lands, observing the anomalies. They successively discovered similar remains of ancient, sealed, unknown creatures deep within the restricted zones, emitting terrifying death auras that made them difficult to approach.

Glimpses of ancient mythical truths became apparent. Although not as complete as what Xu Yingluo had learned, only fragmented ancient whispers were known. Yet, under Xu Zhi's discreet manipulation, the entire world began to tremble.

"Restricted zones?"

"Potentially harboring danger?"

"This is the true world; the ancient folded lands have unfolded."

They began to feel a sense of pressure and started to investigate ancient cultivation systems.

But how could ordinary people enter those radiated zones?

The radiation was practically a death zone capable of extinguishing all life. Even the exceptionally talented Xu Yingluo found herself helpless, reaching a deadlock for a time.

It wasn't until a Celestial Emperor descended into the Path of Beasts to check if any restricted zones had appeared there.

"It seems no restricted zones have appeared in the Path of Beasts... And in the Path of Heavenly Beings, I secretly tore through the void to check, but found none either. These eerie, mysterious restricted zones only appear in our Mortal Path."

His expression froze.

In recent days, Heavenly Beings from the Path of Heavenly Beings had also secretly entered the Mortal Path, clearly showing interest in these terrifying regions. Among the three paths, the Mortal Path thus seemed to become the center of the storm.

Powerful beings from the Path of Beasts and the Path of Heavenly Beings continuously descended.

"Eh?" The Human Celestial Emperor paused, and as he flew over a lush green mountain, he looked down. "These creatures actually possess a hint of the ancient cultivation system found in those restricted zones..."