Chapter 1260: Source of the Way

Lush green wild grapes, golden primal essence fruits, and carnelian-like fire phoenix fruits hung in clusters, individual berries, and single pieces on emerald branches.

A gentle breeze carried enticing wafts of fruit fragrance, intoxicating the mind. Ahead, a clear lake shimmered, surrounded by spirit trees and the pervasive scent of medicinal herbs.

This was a pure land, brimming with the essence of heaven and earth. Many ancient, treasured medicinal herbs grew here, contributing to a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Yet, living creatures were scarce. Ye Fan had been in this peculiar world for half an hour but had still not encountered any competitors.

They had departed from the Human Race's First Pass, and the five-colored altar had teleported them to this vibrant world, abundant with natural treasures.

"Damn it, I thought we'd be fighting tooth and nail, surrounded by enemies. How come there isn't even a single feather in sight?" the Dragon Horse wondered, suspicious.

It chomped off a string of golden fruits, their fragrant juice splattering, and began to feast, detecting no hint of danger.

Was this an ancient life star? Ye Fan didn't know. He tried to ascend into the sky, but as soon as he reached mid-air, he felt a powerful restriction that even he, mighty as he was, could not break free from.

This ancient land possessed unparalleled restrictions, specifically designed for Saint Kings. It was clear what kind of situation the trial participants would face; most likely, none of them could ascend into the high heavens.

Unable to find an opponent or any powerful creatures, Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse cautiously explored, hoping to find a way out.

According to the guide, this place was a bridge connecting to the human race's next holy city, and the only way to reach it was to fight their way through.

There were no birds or insects, only lush vegetation, resembling an untamed ancient star awaiting excavation. For many, it would be an ideal paradise.

"This isn't right. It's impossible for there to be no living creatures. We've likely entered some special area," Ye Fan murmured to himself.

The Dragon Horse paused, then said, "Back in my Fire Dragon Cave, no creature dared to approach within a hundred miles."

"So, that means there might be some formidable entity dwelling here, and we've intruded upon its territory," Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat.

They immediately became cautious, trekking over six hundred miles through the verdant ancient land when they suddenly heard a strange sound.

Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse hid, and to their surprise, saw a dazzling, luminous carriage streak across the sky.

What was surprising was that the carriage was not tall, just over a foot in height, and crafted from beautiful jade, as were the horses pulling it.

"What treasure is that?" the Dragon Horse was eager to try and intercept it, sensing a saintly power emanating from it.

It thought it couldn't be a real carriage, but merely a magical artifact, otherwise it was too small. It streaked across the sky like a brilliant meteor.

"That's not right. The horses are galloping; they're not inanimate objects," Ye Fan said, surprised, then suddenly opened his Eye of Heaven.

A Saint Spirit!

He was startled. As the carriage approached, he saw a stone horse and a stone figure inside, both crystalline and radiating powerful saintly might, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Horse's scalp tingled. If they were Saint Spirits, how incredibly powerful would they be? Those were beings capable of challenging ancient Great Emperors.

Ye Fan's expression grew solemn. His brow glowed faintly, and strands of divine patterns appeared, helping him sense the strange carriage ahead.

"Not Saint Spirits. They weren't born from stone embryos; they're merely divine jade that has gained sentience and taken on humanoid forms," he said, relieved.

The Dragon Horse breathed a sigh of relief. If they truly faced a Saint Spirit, not only would they be annihilated, but even all the powerhouses on the entire Starry Sky Ancient Road combined couldn't withstand it.

"Finally, a living being!" The Dragon Horse wanted to rush over and intercept it to find out more.

However, before it could act, a majestic voice boomed from the carriage: "Who dares to trespass into the forbidden medicine garden?"

Immediately, a sea of green light surged down, radiating immense saintly power. This was a Saint.

The Dragon Horse cursed. This creature, less than a foot tall, was absurdly powerful. It attacked first and asked questions later.

The Dragon Horse let out a roar, shattering the surrounding mountains and reducing many ancient herbs to ashes. It charged forward, hooves raised, ready to battle the strange carriage.

"How dare you! You destroyed my medicine garden! I won't let you off!" The master inside the carriage raged, its entire body a crystalline emerald green. With a clear whistle, it spat out a vast expanse of Star River Purple Sand. This was a supreme treasure, used by even the most powerful figures in crafting artifacts.

This Star River Purple Sand transformed into a myriad of stars, each ancient, majestic, and boundless in size, swiftly filling the heavens and earth, turning the area into a cosmos.

The lush green mountains, grand waterfalls, and clear lakes all vanished, replaced by a field of purple planets that encircled and and trapped them.

"What a hellhole have we stumbled into? How did we provoke a powerful ancient Saint the moment we appeared?" the Dragon Horse cursed.

Ye Fan's expression was grim. This was no ordinary Saint; one who could conjure Star River Purple Sand with a mere gesture was undoubtedly a Venerable Lord.

He held his dark-gold long spear, its black tip gleaming with a cold, faint dark light, and thrust it forward, directly using divine power to break the spell.

"Boom!"

A star shattered, purple mist rising, making the artificially created cosmic river even more hazy.

"I don't wish to be your enemy, but if you don't cease your attack, don't blame me for being ruthless," Ye Fan said gravely. He held the heavy black spear with both hands, slowly sweeping it, as if to wield the celestial powers, causing the entire purple star domain to rumble and shake.

"Another trial participant. You humans are truly despicable!" the master in the carriage said coldly, clearly in a bad mood.

However, it did not continue its attack. It collected the Star River Purple Sand, and the purple planets filling the sky vanished, revealing the majestic mountain ranges once more.

"This is my medicine garden, and you've rudely intruded."

Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse were stunned. The area they had traversed spanned hundreds of miles, and it was just one medicine garden—truly astonishingly vast.

"For dozens of years, I don't know how many groups of trial participants I've seen. I'm truly fed up," the small jade figure in the carriage said with an extremely unpleasant attitude.

The Dragon Horse retorted, "Hey there, little sprite, your resentment is a bit much, isn't it? We don't even know what's going on, and you already despise us so much."

"Go to hell, you...!" The jade figure in the carriage erupted, unleashing a torrent of curses that rained down on the Dragon Horse.

"I've cultivated the Dao for thousands of years! How dare a mere broken horse like you call me a 'little sprite'?!"

"You're dead. You've offended this old man, and I'll never tell you how to get to the second pass."

Ye Fan was somewhat speechless too. It took a while for the fiery tempered little jade figure to calm down.

The Dragon Horse hung its head, seeing no other option. It seemed this small figure was responsible for guiding them on their journey, acting as a guide and part of the trial.

"We were defeated in a great battle against your human race's powerhouses on the Starry Sky Ancient Road and have been imprisoned here, but we are not slaves."

So there was a hidden story. Unfortunately, the guide from the Human Race's First City was too irresponsible, having explained nothing, leaving them completely confused until now.

"Then can you tell us what we need to do here and how to get to the next holy city on the ancient trial road?" Ye Fan asked.

The small figure emerged from the carriage, clearly in a foul mood. "That bastard from the Human Race's First City is practically insane with cultivation, ignoring everything. Now I have to explain this stuff."

He was clearly annoyed with the guide, uttering a string of curses before finally saying peevishly, "This is a bloody battlefield. Everyone on the ancient cultivation road is an enemy; you understand what to do. Additionally, try your best to find the elusive Source of Dao to strengthen yourselves."

The small figure formed from Nine Heavens Azure Jade was clearly agitated, only giving a brief explanation without elaborating. However, Ye Fan generally understood that this was an extremely important place.

Slaughtering foes and battling competitors were not the main points. The true objective was to strengthen oneself. There was something called the Source of Dao here, which seemed to have an extremely significant impact on one's future.

"The Source of Dao is rare throughout the ages. You've come too late. Over the past few decades, some have successfully collected portions of it. Once they undergo tribulation and integrate it, they will likely become invincible."

Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse were surprised, realizing with each word the immense importance of the Source of Dao. It was truly terrifying.

It seemed related to transcending tribulations, a supreme immortal item for enhancing potential and cultivation realm. Its specific effects could only be known upon acquiring it.

"Go now. The Source of Dao is extremely important. You can go fight. The larger the area you occupy, the greater the chance of finding it."

"We need to claim territory?" Ye Fan asked, surprised.

The small figure made of Nine Heavens Azure Jade impatiently waved its hand, urging them to leave quickly, stating there were at least dozens of battlefields outside, and they would understand once they fought.

"The Source of Dao is rare throughout the ages, and it's very difficult for you to obtain. Even the lowest quality of this substance can allow someone to attain the position of Heavenly King in the future."

The small emerald figure said with final disgust, then continued on its way. Being imprisoned here and forced to serve the human race clearly filled it with resentment.

"Damn it, I want to eat that guide! He didn't even mention something this important," the Dragon Horse fumed.

"I suspect that few people throughout history have ever obtained the Source of Dao; otherwise, why wouldn't he have mentioned it?" Ye Fan said after pondering.

"Even so, we can't give up. Let's hurry and search for it. I never imagined this was such an extraordinary place, possessing such an immortal treasure!" The Dragon Horse could no longer sit still.

They dashed like lightning towards the distance, and half an hour later, emerged from the mountain range into an open plain.

"Kill them all!""Boom!"

The sight that greeted them was shocking. It resembled an ancient battlefield of gods and demons, filled with shouts of battle. Various powerful artifacts flew through the air, banners flapped vigorously, and monstrous beasts rumbled, shaking the very heavens as they trampled the ground.

A streak of light plummeted, a massive meteorite that nearly crushed the Dragon Horse. The ground rumbled, revealing a huge crater.

"Damn it, where have we ended up?" The Dragon Horse stomped its foot in frustration.

The moment they appeared, they were attacked. There seemed to be few weaklings here; various artifacts and divine lights flew everywhere, capable of shattering mountains and drying up rivers with ease.

"You're human trial participants, aren't you? There might be a Source of Dao in this place. Help our Nine Heavens Kingdom occupy it, and we'll share it equally."

A small figure, about a foot tall and shimmering with purple light, flew over. It was formed from Purple Flame Divine Jade, part of the Nine Heavens Divine Jade series.

Ye Fan felt that something was amiss. He had just seen a being formed from Azure Jade, also from the Nine Heavens Divine Jade series, and now he encountered another one.

However, this one was only a Half-Saint, far less powerful than the previous one. Yet, these were all divine materials, and now they had all gained sentience.

From its tone, it seemed that the beings formed from Nine Heavens Divine Jade had established a kingdom here, which was truly astounding.

"We are fighting against the Spirit Kingdom, and there are also other powerful factions like the Demon Kingdom and the Divine Kingdom. If you join us, we can share the Source of Dao when the time comes, which is much fairer than with those greedy entities."

"We still don't understand what's going on," Ye Fan said.

"This is a rare opportunity. Legend has it that thirty types of Source of Dao have been born throughout the ages – though some say forty-nine – and most have already been obtained by ancient beings, making them incredibly rare."

Several small figures formed from divine jade surrounded him, trying to persuade him to join. Just moments ago, powerful individuals had sensed the aura of the Source of Dao emanating from beneath this battlefield, which was why the great battle had erupted.

These non-human races willingly remained imprisoned here because they also desired the legendary Source of Dao. Over the years, they had frequently cooperated with human trial participants.

"Over the past few decades, some heaven-defying trial participants have successfully obtained the Source of Dao. This is a monumental event of all ages! It signifies that they have received recognition from heaven and earth, and and may achieve Dao enlightenment because of it in the future. If you don't obtain it, you will absolutely be unable to contend with them on the path ahead."

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