Chapter 104: Bronze Giant Coffin Reappears

Blood-red mist drifted, and a pungent, bloody smell filled the forest. Bodies lay sprawled among the thorn bushes, beneath ancient tree branches, and between jumbled rocks. Some were pierced through, others torn apart, all with eyes wide open in death.

The vast mountain forest was eerily silent, a deathly stillness prevailing. The old madman’s prophecy had come true: as far as the eye could see, bodies lay everywhere, everyone was dead, and blood stained the ground.

“They’re dead… all dead… It’s here again…” the old madman murmured, his eyes vacant, staring up at the sky.

“You’re wrong,” Ye Fan said, still shaken. “At least the two of us survived.” Just a short while ago, he had witnessed dozens of savage beasts slaughtering cultivators—a complete massacre that no one could resist. Yet, to his surprise, the old madman stood blankly in the forest, giggling foolishly, and all the savage beasts had kept far away from him.

“Wuwuwu…” The old madman began to wail loudly, tears streaming from his cloudy eyes, as he furiously tore at his messy white hair.

“Old man, try to be more open-minded. After living for more than six thousand long years, what else is there to dwell on…?”

The old madman wept tragically, beating his chest and stamping his feet. Then, like a ghost, he began to wander through the forest, never once glancing at Ye Fan, completely lost in his own world.

Ye Fan stuck close to him, fearing the return of the strange beasts. The old madman, disoriented and distraught, eventually ascended a rocky mountain. He stared blankly towards the direction of the Ancient Forbidden Land, not moving for a long time, like a fossilized statue.

He ended up standing there for an entire night, his cloudy old eyes never blinking, until the first rays of dawn appeared and the sun touched his eyes. Only then did he regain his senses.

“The song is over, everyone’s gone, dispersed… I’ll come to see you all again someday…” The old madman cried out three times, then giggled foolishly as he walked down the mountain.

As the deranged old man began to stride, Ye Fan was astonished to find that he covered several miles with each step, truly shrinking the ground into inches. If Ye Fan hadn’t been holding onto his arm, he would have been left far behind, without a trace.

“Dao patterns!” Ye Fan was greatly startled at that moment. The old madman’s footprints were extraordinary, interwoven with mysterious lines, exuding a natural Dao charm.

He was utterly shocked. The old madman’s achievements were unimaginable; Dao charm coalesced with every gesture, leaving behind Dao patterns effortlessly. His realm was simply immeasurable.

“Legend says that ‘Dao patterns’ were inscribed by ancient great powers who had profound insights into the natural world, representing the inheritance of their spiritual enlightenment. For the old madman to spontaneously create ‘Dao patterns’ with any casual movement—it’s terrifying, comparable to the legendary ancient powers. No wonder those strange beasts, capable of easily slaying Holy Land elders, avoided him as if he were a plague god.” Ye Fan muttered to himself, deeply shaken. He focused all his attention, memorizing the patterns on the ground.

He almost hung onto the old madman, intently gazing down at each footprint. The Dao patterns flashed into existence and then vanished, appearing for only a fleeting moment before automatically disappearing.

However, all these patterns were identical; every footprint bore the same mark. Ye Fan continued to memorize them until they were far from the mountain forest littered with corpses.

In the distance, many cultivators gazed towards the depths of the primeval mountain range, but none dared to enter and explore. These individuals were cautious, sensing that something terrible had occurred deep within the forest.

They had not pressed further yesterday, choosing instead to stop at the outer perimeter, thus escaping disaster. Otherwise, there would have been many more corpses in the forest.

Ye Fan glanced behind him, feeling as if an age had passed. Only he and the old madman had emerged alive, a fact that would unsettle anyone.

The old madman waved his tattered sleeve, immediately sending Ye Fan flying several meters. It was clear he intended to leave.

“Old man, please wait!” Ye Fan quickly called out, chasing after him. “This junior wishes to follow by your side and listen to your teachings.”

The old madman seemed to clear up slightly, looking at him with a puzzled expression. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I…”

“I shouldn’t even exist in this world. Do you wish to turn to dust with me?” With that, the old madman waved his sleeve and vanished in an instant.

Ye Fan stood still for a moment, then took a detour to leave the mountain range and emerge from the great mountains.

Upon returning, Ye Fan saw Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, and Wang Ziwen outside the mountains. They were with their respective sect elders and had not ventured deep into the mountains.

Soon after, news spread, astonishing everyone and shaking the Eastern Wasteland.

“Near the Ancient Forbidden Land, a Great Demon Power is about to emerge. Countless terrifying strange beasts guard the area, and no one who enters without permission can survive. That place is even more terrifying than the Demon Emperor’s Tomb, a veritable slaughterhouse that reaps lives…”

This pronouncement quickly spread across the land, unsettling all human cultivators in the Eastern Wasteland. Some directly pointed out that the heart that flew out of the Demon Emperor’s Tomb two years ago had been inherited by a certain Great Demon Power, and a new generation of Demon Emperor was about to appear in the Eastern Wasteland.

Half a month later, both the Shaking Light Holy Land and the Jiang Family once again dispatched powerful figures to the outskirts of this mountain. It was rumored that a Grand Elder from the Shaking Light Holy Land and a clan brother of the Jiang Family head arrived together. True great figures had descended, and the small town once again became a gathering place for influential individuals.

Ye Fan did not leave; he remained outside the mountains. He was unwilling to give up, wanting to wait for the situation to calm down before finding a way to venture deeper.

Over the next ten days or so, powerful individuals entered the mountains daily to explore, but none returned. It wasn't until the Grand Elder of the Shaking Light Holy Land and the Great Figure from the Jiang Family set off in person that everyone felt the truth might finally be revealed.

It was only after a full day and night that the two great figures retreated, their faces pale. An even more shocking piece of news then spread throughout the Eastern Wasteland: the two great figures had opened their 'Immortal Eyes' and gazed hundreds of miles, witnessing a startling sight—a massive bronze coffin had appeared above the abyss of the Ancient Forbidden Land.

Those powerful strange beasts seemed to want to break into the forbidden land and take the ancient bronze coffin, temporarily sealing off the external areas.

When Ye Fan learned this news, he was shocked. Others might not know what was going on with the bronze coffin, but he knew perfectly well.

“Didn’t it fall into the abyss? How could it reappear…?”

Half a month later, more news arrived: the powerful strange beasts had finally acted, but it ended in a disastrous defeat. Seven beasts entered, and not a single one came out alive.

Eventually, the powerful strange beasts no longer surrounded the Ancient Forbidden Land and dispersed. The Eastern Wasteland was in an uproar; the appearance of a bronze ancient coffin in the Ancient Forbidden Land had stirred the nerves of all the great figures. However, no Holy Land or ancient aristocratic family dared to make a rash move, as even those terrifying Great Demon Powers had returned defeated, making them wary.

It wasn't until a month later that the three super-powers—the Shaking Light Holy Land, the Jiang Family, and the Ji Family—joined forces to once again venture deep into the forbidden zone of life.

This time, many cultivators still arrived, but most came merely to watch the spectacle. Few truly wished to delve deeper, and all factions remained observant.

“Ye Fan, it’s you…” Just outside the mountains, an exceptionally beautiful woman showed a surprised expression. Her slender figure, graceful curves, and delicate movements were that of a temptress with the face of a fairy. She had a pair of phoenix eyes, subtly slanted upwards, giving her an extraordinarily captivating and alluring aura.

“Lin Jia!” Ye Fan was also surprised, not expecting to be spotted by Lin Jia. In truth, he already knew that Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and Li Xiaoman were in the small town ahead. This time, with the three factions joining forces, they had likely been summoned again to be questioned about something.

Not far away, several powerful knights heard the sound and immediately spurred their mounts, rushing over.

“He’s my friend, don’t misunderstand,” Lin Jia quickly called out, and the knights immediately stopped at a distance.

“They are…?” Ye Fan asked.

“They are from the Shaking Light Holy Land. Whenever Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Li Xiaoman, and I want to go out, someone always guards us…” Lin Jia shook her head, then said, “These are matters of the cultivation world; you wouldn’t understand if I explained. The Eastern Wasteland’s cultivation world is very chaotic right now.” She glanced at Ye Fan. “Why are you here? How have you been these past three years?”

Ye Fan smiled. “I’m doing very well; everything has been smooth.”

“If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. Perhaps I can help you resolve them.”

“I don’t have any difficulties for now. On that note, I congratulate Granny Lin on regaining her youth and becoming as beautiful as a flower once more.”

“Asking for a beating, aren’t you?” Lin Jia rolled her eyes at him, then smiled alluringly. “It seems you’ve had a good three years, different from what I imagined.” She sighed. “Time flies so quickly; three years have passed in a blink. I really miss the past.”

“Perhaps one day we can go back.”

“The chances are almost zero…” At this point, Lin Jia seemed to remember something and whispered, “If you ever have trouble in the future, you can find me at Yanxia Cavern Heaven. But for now, you should leave quickly.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I have no choice but to return to the Ancient Forbidden Land. If those people find out you consumed the Saint Fruit… you’ll also be in trouble. You should leave this place as quickly as possible.”

Ye Fan didn’t say much more, simply nodding and saying, “You take care!”

However, trouble still found him. Just a quarter of an hour later, Ye Fan was silently surrounded by a dozen knights in the mountains. The old knight leading them made Ye Fan very wary. He didn’t try to break out because he felt an ocean-like wave of terrifying power emanating from the old man. If he made a rash move, the opponent might instantly unleash it.

“I understand your intentions. Very well, I’ll go with you,” Ye Fan said calmly.

Ultimately, Ye Fan was taken back to the small town, but he didn’t see Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Li Xiaoman, or Wang Ziwen. The people from the Shaking Light Holy Land had learned that he had consumed the Saint Fruit and disguised him as a knight, intending to use him at a crucial moment to gather holy medicine.

“Given your physique, you will surely be able to withstand the power of the curse then. If you manage to gather the holy medicine, the Holy Land will not mistreat you…” the old knight warned, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

“I understand,” Ye Fan nodded, but a cold smirk played on his lips internally. When they entered the Ancient Forbidden Land, he wondered who would be using whom.

Five days later, the Shaking Light Holy Land, the Jiang Family, and the Ji Family once again set off deeper into the mountains. From a distance, Ye Fan saw Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Zhang Ziling, and Liu Yiyi—they had all been brought along.

However, Ye Fan was now riding a savage beast and wearing divine iron armor, so those few individuals could not recognize him.

This time, they encountered no terrifying savage beasts to block their way. The three parties successfully reached the boundary marker of the Ancient Forbidden Land.

Several carriages, shimmering with divine radiance, hovered in the sky, no longer moving forward. The great figures prepared to provide support from outside; they dared not risk entering themselves, as the Ancient Forbidden Land had the greatest effect on super-powerhouses, even capable of reducing them to mere mortals.

Entering the Ancient Forbidden Land once again, Ye Fan felt a stir of excitement. Perhaps his unparalleled opportunity was about to arrive. At the same time, he thought of the massive bronze coffin, wondering why it had left the abyss and appeared on the sacred mountain.

“The holy medicine must be gathered!” the great figures transmitted their voices from the sky, their carriages shimmering with divine radiance.