Chapter 1435: Spirit Lake

The Divine Soul Pool has always been a mystical, legendary entity, said to be capable of replicating a person's soul fluctuations and bringing them to life.

When Ye Fan embarked on the Ancient Starry Road, his first priority at each destination was to collect various ancient texts and learn about historical anecdotes. He had discovered that secrets about achieving immortality were only sporadically mentioned in the oldest legends.

This pursuit led him to descriptions of the Divine Soul Pool: its water, composed of soul liquid, does not reflect the surrounding scenery but instead manifests the grand souls of beings.

Inside the Divine Soul Pool, silvery liquid flowed like mercury, followed by brilliant golden liquid, and finally, transparent liquid, constantly interchanging and circulating.

"Golden souls, silver spirits, combined with strange fusion liquid—this must be the composition of the Divine Soul Pool. It seems there's no mistake," Ye Fan remarked, carefully observing the changes within the pool.

The golden, silver, and transparent viscous liquids did not always appear; they only emerged occasionally after long periods, and one would easily overlook them without close attention.

The ancient pool was deep, and a silver waterfall plunging into it from above created plumes of mist, shrouding the entire area in a hazy veil.

"Could this pose any danger to Brother Haoyue?" Pang Bo asked.

Ye Fan replied, "It's hard to say. This substance is far too mysterious; probably no one today knows how to use it. I've only heard that it can vividly reproduce a person's soul fluctuations. Some attempted to create a second divine soul using it, but they failed."

Pang Bo sent out a wisp of his spiritual sense, approaching closer for a detailed observation. He found a powerful force within the pool attempting to draw his spiritual consciousness in.

"Don't go near it," Ye Fan warned. "There's a belief that this Divine Soul Pool was formed when the souls of countless ancient powerhouses were melted down into liquid in a single furnace."

"Souls can turn into liquid? That's truly bizarre," the Dragon Horse and others exclaimed in awe.

One could approach this substance, but only if they possessed a physical body. Otherwise, a mere soul plunging in might instantly dissolve and become part of the soul liquid.

This incidentally highlighted the importance of the physical body. The body is a divine shell, protecting the soul; to reach ultimate strength, one must possess a strong, indestructible physique.

Ye Fan stated, "These are remnants left by the 'Immortality Calamity.' Some ancient records suggest the Divine Soul Pool was developed by powerhouses during the mythical era to research immortality and eternal life."

Everyone sighed lightly, feeling that the more they cultivated, the narrower the path became. Ultimately, the greatest challenge faced by all supreme prodigies was the pursuit of longevity. Nearly every Great Emperor and Heavenly Venerable had to exert immense effort in their quest to become an immortal.

"This must be a deceptive barrier set up by Ji Haoyue and his companions for self-preservation, to mislead encroaching enemies. It seems they sensed the great chaos outside."

"Silence!"

They quickly fell silent, sensing an extremely swift approach. Several divine rainbows shot through the air, directly targeting the figure above the Divine Soul Pool, aiming to suppress it in a single strike.

If Ji Haoyue were truly there, he would be in serious trouble, as these approaching individuals were all immensely powerful young supremes.

Among them were the three young masters of the Golden Serpent Clan, the Gold-Eating Beast, and several others whom they had not seen before. This was because the discovery of the Ancient Tree of Life in the mythical ancient realm had sent shockwaves across even more distant star systems. During the search for the divine bridge, many more ancient star fields became involved, leading to an increase in powerful individuals.

Evidently, they intended to capture Ji Haoyue and force him to reveal what happened in the forbidden zone, believing he might have obtained the Divine Demon Liquid. They all attacked simultaneously, aiming for a swift victory.

Amidst a burst of intense light, three golden serpents, each about ten feet long, pierced through the figure's body. The other attackers also struck their target, but their blows seemed to pass through empty space.

"These hateful creatures are truly ruthless, trying to destroy Brother Haoyue's physical body and leave only his primordial spirit," Pang Bo whispered.

"Ah..."

One person shrieked. As he extended his spiritual consciousness to scan his surroundings, he was careless for a moment, and his divine soul was pulled out from his forehead, falling into the Divine Soul Pool.

It was a terrifying sight. This individual had once reigned supreme on an ancient path, undefeated among his peers in that ancient domain. Yet now, he was utterly helpless; his primordial spirit entered the pool, turned into liquid, and was melted within it.

It was as if a blazing copper furnace had melted a cold metal object into liquid, destroying its original form.

"What's going on?" the Gold-Eating Beast and others gasped, instinctively retreating. One of them, bewildered, mistakenly thought a powerful enemy was secretly observing and ambushing them. He sent out his strongest spiritual thought to search, only to shriek as his primordial spirit was also pulled out.

In an instant, his primordial spirit dissolved, becoming soul liquid, and like the first person, he was forever erased from existence, his spirit perishing there.

"Don't send out your spiritual thoughts! There's something wrong with this pool. It's called the Divine Soul Pool, created by those seeking immortality to become immortals. It's beyond ordinary power," the Eldest Young Master of the Golden Serpent Clan shouted.

The Golden Serpent lineage, descendants of the ancient god Tengshe, possessed profound knowledge of ancient tales and secrets. After observing the ancient pool, he immediately made the correct judgment.

The others retreated, their faces filled with shock. "This Divine Soul Pool is truly remarkable, immensely useful—an excellent place to trap and kill powerful enemies," Pang Bo muttered. The Dragon Horse wholeheartedly agreed, marveling that in such a short time, two young powerhouses who had dominated their respective regions had perished.

Ye Fan warned, "This kind of thing is difficult to take away and is considered ominous. Legend has it that anyone who has ever tried to remove the Divine Soul Pool throughout history has ultimately been melted within it, none meeting a good end."

The Divine Soul Pool, the Lake of Reincarnation, and the Flying Immortal Waterfall were all equally renowned and recorded in ancient texts. They were considered untouchable, all related to longevity, and all artificially created.

Ye Fan, the Old Madman, Li Heishui, Little Nannan, and the Black Emperor had encountered the Lake of Reincarnation when they ventured into Saint Cliff together. At that time, everyone had been mesmerized by its appearance, but the Old Madman had stopped them.

Now, seeing the Divine Soul Pool, Ye Fan felt a stir in his heart. He greatly hoped to pierce through the mists of the mythical era and discover what methods those great ancients had used to achieve immortality.

The Third Young Master of the Golden Serpent Clan sneered chillingly, "That person has good tactics. Just by leaving a soul imprint here, they made us lose two great masters. They better hope I don't find them."

"Once found, he will surely be annihilated," the Gold-Eating Beast added.

"This is a good spot. We could set up an ambush here and perhaps eliminate the Human Race Holy Body and others, or even cause the demise of those old bastards, Grey Dragon and Golden Toad," the Fourth Young Master of the Golden Serpent Clan said sinisterly.

The young supremes were powerful, but with various Great Sages also descending, they had to choose to avoid them and dared not travel together, or they risked being cut down.

The three young masters of the Golden Serpent Clan, in particular, had long-standing feuds and were mortal enemies with the Grey Dragon and Golden Toad, so they needed to be extra cautious.

"There's a void imprint here, left for someone special. Everyone, help me extract it," said the Eldest Young Master of the Golden Serpent Clan.

Hearing this, the young supremes were momentarily stunned, then showed surprised expressions. They each made a move, jointly reaching into the void. With a rumbling sound, a bright light erupted, and an imprint materialized.

"Friends from Big Dipper, stop! Do not send out spiritual thoughts." This single sentence warned of the danger here.

The Eldest Young Master of the Golden Serpent Clan laughed cruelly, "Big Dipper again! It must be a friend of the Human Race Holy Body. I will definitely kill him."

He personally arranged a display before the Divine Soul Pool, taking Ji Haoyue's place and leaving behind a lifelike figure. Then, he erased the warning message.

"Damn it, they want to set a trap for us? Let's take them out first!" the Dragon Horse said fiercely.

Ye Fan stopped it. None of these individuals were benevolent, nor were they easy targets. A full-scale battle would undoubtedly be earth-shattering and might even draw several Great Sages, putting them in grave danger.

In fact, they didn't even get a chance to ambush them. The Eldest Young Master of the Golden Serpent Clan manifested the Tengshe Formation Diagram, enveloping everyone within it, and they vanished.

"Should we also set up a trap and scheme against bastards like Qi Tian and Grey Dragon?" the Azure Luan asked.

Ye Fan shook his head. "No need. Let those few make a spectacle of themselves. All the blame will fall on them."

They possessed Heaven-Deceiving Formation Patterns, allowing them to conceal themselves in the mountains without worrying about revealing their aura. Even if a Great Sage passed by, they would be difficult to detect. After a brief stop, they continued their journey.

Just a few hundred miles out, a tremendous roar echoed from behind, accompanied by the collapse of mountains and the cracking of earth. A Great Sage bellowed, shattering rivers and mountains.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo exchanged bewildered glances. Someone had actually fallen for the trap, and so quickly, which was unexpected. They hurriedly returned along their original path and stood on a majestic peak, looking out. It was indeed the Grey Dragon, who had nearly perished. His primordial spirit had been ripped out, but at the crucial moment, he severed a quarter of it, narrowly escaping death.

"Tengshe, your lineage deserves to be exterminated! Don't think I don't know where your ancient star field is!" the Grey Dragon roared.

"Heh, I hope this Grey Dragon becomes even more formidable in the future and descends upon the Tengshe ancient star field," the Dragon Horse said, gloating.

The Grey Dragon remained silent for a while, then he too left behind a figure, replacing the Eldest Young Master of the Golden Serpent Clan to attract attention.

"This has become a vicious cycle. Whoever gets trapped wants to ensnare others in turn. I wonder how many will perish because of this," Pang Bo said.

They delved deeper into this ancient land, encountering various void formation patterns. For others, without ancestral artifacts, they might easily get lost, but for Ye Fan and his companions, it was no longer difficult.

Along the way, they discovered many clues, including traces left by someone who had achieved enlightenment, and found several caves that had clearly been inhabited in the past.

"There's an aura of Divine Demon Liquid here!" Ye Fan and his group were astonished by this new discovery.

Before a sheer cliff, they found a huge stone basin, clearly carved by someone, large enough for bathing. Inside, there were still sparkling droplets, which turned out to be Divine Demon Liquid.

In addition, there were some strands of hair and cracked old skin. This discovery made them gasp; someone had undergone a complete transformation here, shedding their old body and being reborn.

This was undoubtedly an immense, heaven-defying opportunity.

Legend had it that only immortal medicines possessed such efficacy, much like when Ye Fan and Pang Bo had picked divine medicine fruits from the Ancient Forbidden Land years ago, undergoing a complete metamorphosis and returning to their youthful states.

"The Divine Demon Liquid is so heaven-defying..." they all exclaimed in awe.

Ye Fan activated his Origin Technique, and patterns emerged on the ground. Light patterns flowed over the hair and shed skin, allowing him to sense a familiar aura and confirm the person's identity.

"Ji Haoyue! It's really him. He actually obtained such a heaven-defying fortune, using Divine Demon Liquid to temper his soul bones and undergo a complete transformation."

Ye Fan sighed softly, realizing that indeed, everyone had different opportunities. The Divine Body of the Eastern Desolation had chased the Great Emperor of the Void's ancient coffin and was brought here, unexpectedly receiving such a blessing.

"Look, there's more over here!" the Dragon Horse exclaimed, truly filled with envy and resentment. For twenty years, it had been relatively close to Divine Demon Liquid but could never obtain it, yet someone in this forbidden zone was using it to refine their soul body, making the Dragon Horse deeply covetous.

This large stone basin, ten feet long, still contained some liquid droplets, but more notably, golden divine feathers, like clusters of golden flames, shimmered within it.

Undoubtedly, a divine bird had undergone nirvana here, evolving a more powerful body and shedding its former divine feathers and old skin.

"Not far now. They should be nearby," Pang Bo said.