Chapter 1403: Ancient Hunting Grounds

Extremely ancient, the mythical altars had weathered, with cracks and broken patterns layered upon each other, leaving behind a mottled, weathered appearance, almost destroyed by the passage of time.

Ye Fan had departed, but over a dozen types of ancient blood flowed, emitting terrifying fluctuations on the Corpse Subduing Diagram, with divine light like an ocean, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

Various anomalies appeared in this place. Within the Corpse Subduing Diagram, divine beings and demons formed an altar. At this moment, a great light erupted, blood rained down, and eerie winds howled.

Sounds of wailing ghosts and howling gods echoed from this place, and the Corpse Subduing Diagram spun, as if a true kingdom of gods and demons had descended.

The ancient altar actively absorbed over a dozen types of the strongest ancient blood. Some of the mythical ancient figures carved upon it, corresponding to the blood, became extremely radiant and rumbled, appearing as if they were about to revive and emerge from the stone wall.

This was an anomaly, truly astounding.

After an unknown period, the area quieted down, returning to the serene emptiness that had prevailed for eons, utterly silent and desolate.

The universe was vast, boundless, dark, and cold. Ye Fan and his companions ventured deep into an ancient domain, a place utterly desolate, devoid of any life force, as if they had stumbled into an ancient forbidden zone that had been lifeless for countless ages.

It was eerily quiet, almost beyond imagination. They could distinctly hear the rush of blood against their vessel walls and the subtle pulsations of their internal organs, like a drumming in their ears.

Ye Fan and his group stood in the darkness, completely on guard. It was so profoundly dark that not even starlight was visible; it was pitch black, making it impossible to see one's own hand.

At this moment, only spiritual perception remained; their eyes were useless. Wisps of golden divine light spread out from Ye Fan's body, probing in all directions.

Thump, thump...

A colossal heartbeat echoed, as if a titan who had cleaved the heavens lay there, slumbering.

Pang Bo, Dragon Horse, and the others stood together, finding it unbelievable that such a rhythm existed in this boundless darkness; it was truly bizarre.

Golden threads emanated from Ye Fan's body, reaching into the infinitely distant depths of the darkness—a manifestation of his spiritual perception, boundless in its reach.

Especially from his glabella, a vertical eye emerged, the most powerful Celestial Eye that appeared after the treasures within his body were unlocked. It shot out a blazing beam of light, gazing into the universe.

"That is..."

Ye Fan's expression instantly changed. Ahead, there was a gigantic corpse, tens of thousands of feet long, and the thumping pulsations originated from it.

"It's terrifying! Could that be its heartbeat?" After adapting, Pang Bo and the others expanded their spiritual perception, searching in all directions, and saw the enormous ancient corpse.

Its immense size was truly awe-inspiring. This was not a manifested celestial form or an illusion, but a true body.

It had been left here countless ages ago; its entire body floated cold and lifeless in the desolate universe, still emanating an aura that sent shivers down their spines.

"Impossible! Judging by its attire, it's at least a creature from the Primordial Era. How could its heart still be beating?" Even Dragon Horse felt uneasy, his heart trembling.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a world-shattering fluctuation rapidly swept over, making the area extremely perilous, like colossal waves crashing against the shore, pulling the enormous corpse towards the deepest darkness.

Ye Fan and his companions' bodies were also uncontrollably pulled forward. It was as if there was a bottomless abyss, devouring the heavens and earth, threatening to suck in all matter.

They finally saw clearly: they were at the edge of a colossal black hole, on the verge of being drawn in. A scorching temperature seared their bodies, threatening to disintegrate and melt them.

"Retreat!"

Ye Fan led the charge, rushing away. Such an immense black hole devoured all things, destroying everything, and radiated the power of ancient gods and demons.

The tens of thousands of feet long colossal corpse silently sank into the black hole, its posture unchanged since ancient times, as if in slumber.

Thump, thump...

The terrifying heartbeat continued to resonate, making it seem utterly unbelievable. Could there truly still be life?

"Rise!" At the last moment, Ye Fan and his group rushed out from the black hole's edge, reaching a safe zone. He activated the Soldier Character Secret, attempting to seize the colossal corpse and bring it out with them.

Unfortunately, it was a step too late. More than half of it had already plunged into the cosmic abyss, boundless and unseen in the darkness. Only one arm flew out.

The colossal corpse had, in fact, been torn apart long ago. In the distant past, just before its death, it had forcibly reassembled its various body parts.

Thump, thump...

"Perhaps it's not his heart. In a trance, I saw a divine drum resonating within his body," Ye Fan explained.

Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, Nine-tailed Alligator Dragon, Scorpio, Black Bear Saint, and others swarmed forward, surrounding the several thousand-foot-long arm.

This ancient body had been dismembered in the past, its arm severed by a single sword stroke, leaving a clean cut. Even now, wisps of sword energy still emanated from it.

This was astonishing; it was from a battle that occurred at least in the Primordial Era, yet the laws and order had not completely dissipated, leaving them dumbfounded.

This was a Great Saint, of an unknown race, immensely powerful. In the past, they might have glimpsed the threshold of a Quasi-Emperor, otherwise, their corpse would not have persisted until now.

After such an immense span of time, the vital essence within its body had not fully dissipated. Clearly, this was an extraordinary figure who cultivated a secret technique to re-adhere their dismembered body and seal their lifeblood within.

At least a million years had passed. Although some essence had been lost, its blood essence remained stronger than that of all other Saints, comparable to a peak Saint King.

"We're rich! An arm like this, with its domineering blood and vital essence at the peak Saint King level, is more than enough for us to refine ancient blood!"

Dragon Horse, Black Bear Saint, and the others shouted, each immensely excited.

The twelve Saints embarked on the same path, refining their own vital blood, either evolving towards true dragons or their respective ancient ancestors. This was a great fortune and blessing for them.

Over the next few months, lightning tribulations occurred incessantly. The several thousand-foot-long arm contained an immense amount of vital blood, speculated to be from a unique divine-demonic species.

The twelve Saints gained immense benefits.

This was merely an interlude. They had officially entered the Mythical Ancient Road, exploring this desolate universe in search of the Nine-layered Coffin from the Mythical Era and the Ancient Tree of Life.

However, the universe was too vast. Their search was like a few specks of dust drifting in a boundless ocean; it was simply impossible to thoroughly explore the entire ancient domain.

Unless an ancient Great Emperor were to revive, individuals were far too insignificant compared to a star region.

This was a desolate world. From beginning to end, not only were there no ancient trees of life, but even Sangu, Earth Corpse, Holy Spirits, Gold-eating Beasts, and the God Race had vanished without a trace. Large groups of cultivators who had pledged allegiance to them were also nowhere to be seen.

Ye Fan grew somewhat uneasy, fearing unforeseen changes. They had been in the Mythical Ancient Domain for several months, yet had not encountered a single living creature.

"Oh, look, a colossal stele! It soars into the universe; it's incredibly massive!"

On this very day, they finally made an astonishing discovery. Ahead in the starry sky stood an immense stone monument, whose grandeur could not simply be described in terms of tens, hundreds, or thousands of feet, but rather tens of thousands of miles high.

It rivaled an ancient star, even larger than many planets, standing there like a majestic and ancient boundary marker.

On its surface were ancient characters that, despite the passage of countless ages, still possessed an ancient Daoistic charm that resonated deeply.

This was a boundary stele, bearing a solemn warning: "Ahead lies the Mythical Ancient Hunting Zone, where numerous terrifying creatures roam. Once the boundary is crossed, there may be fatal calamity."

"What Primordial Divine Script? I understand now. More precisely, it should be the ancient script from the Mythical Era, simply called Divine Script," Ye Fan muttered, staring at the ancient characters on the stele.

As they stepped into this ancient domain, they immediately sensed an unusual atmosphere. It was no longer so desolate; instead, wisps of life force permeated the air.

"No way! Could there be an ancient life planet?" Pang Bo exclaimed, excited.

However, after proceeding for a short distance, their expressions drastically changed. There were indeed signs of life, but it wasn't an ancient planet. Instead, they found severed limbs, mutilated remains, and large patches of bloodstains.

A massacre had occurred here, with a large number of cultivators annihilated. The event was not too old, likely within the past half-month.

"So much time has passed, yet there are still creatures in the Mythical Ancient Hunting Zone? What are they? Do they normally lurk in space?" Golden Lion wondered, filled with doubt.

"Be careful. This ancient hunting zone is truly strange, inhabited by powerful beings. Perhaps they've sensed our arrival," Ye Fan warned.

"They're coming! These things have smelled our blood qi!" Black Bear Saint shouted, alerting everyone.

From his direction, a silver light rapidly rushed towards them, resembling a python or a great white shark, tearing through the cosmos and leaving a blazing white trail as it charged.

It opened its gaping maw, revealing a mouth full of gleaming white teeth, each over a meter long and sharp as a sword, chillingly terrifying.

This creature resembled both a fish and a python, its body covered in shimmering silver scales, dozens of feet long, exuding an overwhelming bloody stench.

"Bang!"

Pang Bo struck, splitting the creature with a single palm, leaving a mangled mess of flesh and blood. However, his expression quickly changed as he saw a swarm of bizarre and terrifying fish-pythons, shimmering with silver light, charging from the distance.

"This is truly strange. This is the starry sky; how can such a powerful group of creatures roam here? It truly lives up to its name as the Mythical Ancient Hunting Zone," Ye Fan frowned, feeling a subtle sense of unease.

This was like a school of piranhas; one was nothing, but so many, over time, could certainly pose a significant threat.

"Let's go."

They left the area, transforming into streaks of light and shooting into the distance. Behind them, an overwhelming tide of silver scales filled and engulfed the starry sky, pursuing them relentlessly.

Half a month later, Pang Bo, Black Bear Saint, Scorpio, and the others cursed repeatedly. Those silver creatures were indeed considered the most docile ones. In the depths of the ancient hunting zone, they encountered even more terrifying beings, having to fight battles every day.

In just half a month, their group had confronted at least dozens of formidable ancient creatures.

"Careful, several alligator-sharks have appeared," Ye Fan warned.

Several behemoths, each with a hideous appearance, their bodies covered in dark gold scales that shimmered menacingly, exuded an overwhelming aura of blood qi. They had the bodies of alligators and the heads of sharks, densely covered in scales that gleamed with cold light.

These few were exceptionally powerful, having reached the Saint Realm, and were several minor realms higher than Ye Fan and his group.

Ye Fan and his companions were not afraid, but they dared not be careless. This place was not suitable for bloodshed; if they killed even one creature, its scent of blood would inevitably attract numerous ancient beasts.

"Wait, this is a desolate starfield with no ancient life planets. How do these creatures survive here, and where do they come from?" Pang Bo wondered.

"Let's leave this place first," Ye Fan said. In the Mythical Ancient Hunting Zone, the best option was to avoid killing, otherwise, the ancient creatures drawn out would become even more terrifying.

On one occasion, they had all sensed the aura of a Great Saint, the "King" of this ancient domain. If they were to truly encounter it, there would certainly be big trouble.

In the distance, several black creatures appeared. Each was two thousand feet long, resembling orcas, but covered in scales that shone with dark light, radiating intense murderous intent.

"Damn it, have we entered an ocean, or are we still in space?" Pang Bo cursed.

"Kill!"

Eight or nine days later, they had ventured far deeper. They constantly encountered ancient creatures and engaged in battles. At this very moment, they heard shouts of battle shaking the heavens and discovered a large group of cultivators fiercely fighting various beasts.

"Ah..."

"No!"

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered, and cries of agony echoed continuously. It was a chaotic battle, with various ancient beasts appearing.

An ancient Saint King, with a dragon's body and a tiger shark's head, radiated dark light. It was massacring the area, having slaughtered many powerful cultivators who had entered the Mythical Ancient Domain from Golden City.

"Blood Beast, that guy has met his match! He's being chased by a Sky King-level fish-python!" Pang Bo laughed loudly.

In the distance, Blood Beast, one of the young supreme talents, was in great trouble. A silver fish-python, nearly at peak Saint King level and on the verge of grand accomplishment, stretched five thousand feet long and relentlessly pursued him.

"Earth Corpse is also here, blocked by a Black Tortoise and unable to escape," Ye Fan noted, his gaze sharp.

A Black Tortoise, as large as a small mountain, had grooves on its hard black shell resembling the Eight Trigrams, from which wisps of divine light emanated. Its cultivation was unfathomable, and it nearly immobilized Earth Corpse.

The two fiercely contended. Even with Earth Corpse's formidable strength, it was only an evenly matched battle; it simply couldn't kill the Black Tortoise.

"The God Race has also arrived," Dragon Horse said, his gaze fixed on another direction.

There, Xin Lan glowed all over, battling numerous ancient beasts. Corpses lay everywhere at her feet, and the vibrant blood blossoms accentuated her extraordinary presence, as if a deity had descended upon the world.

"Rumble!"

Ye Fan and his group also came under attack. Being close to this battlefield, they inevitably became targets. A colossal python, as thick as a mountain, slowly flicked its forked tongue.

Coiled around a massive meteorite, it looked down upon them, its aura terrifying. It was undoubtedly among the elite Saint Kings.

"Something's wrong. Even if this is the hunting zone of the Mythical Ancient Domain, there shouldn't be so many living creatures. How have they survived for such a long time?"

"Humans, do you also wish to journey to the Mythical Other Shore?" the giant python asked, its voice majestic.

"We don't understand what you're saying! We're just passing through and don't want to fight you!" Pang Bo shouted, not wanting to get dragged into a bloody battle.

"A truly big one is coming! It's a Great Saint! It must be the king of this ancient hunting zone!" Dragon Horse exclaimed, sensing a terrifying aura.

They had almost run into it once before, but managed to avoid it.

At that moment, the area directly ahead crumbled, and countless ancient beasts retreated, clearing a path. An ancient flood dragon appeared. It was only ten feet long but possessed a terrifying majesty. It stood atop the head of a several thousand-foot-long ancient beast, exuding immense power.

"The Four Young Masters of the Golden Snake Race are in deep trouble," Pang Bo remarked.

The four young masters of the Golden Snake Race were exceedingly powerful, having caused a sea of blood and mountains of corpses, but as a result, they were targeted by the King of the ancient hunting zone.