Chapter 222: Gods

Ah, I made a mistake just now. It's Chapter 226. I must be feeling lightheaded.

My apologies, everyone!

I'll repost it.

The fog grew even denser. As cultivators, their vision was now limited to a hundred meters; they could no longer discern anything. The fog held a strange power, and the boundless land was completely engulfed in darkness.

"Young man, do you have a plan? Can you really lead us out?"

"Reverend, we're all relying on you. If we make it out alive, I'll erect a monument in your honor..."

Trapped within the Primordial Restricted Zone, no one could remain calm. They were all restless and gathered anxiously around Ye Fan.

"Do any of you have 'source' on you? I need it to alter the terrain," Ye Fan asked the other five.

Old Dao-bazi said nothing, directly handing over more than a dozen bags, each containing fifty jin of 'source' – the very payment he had received. Seeing his action, the other four also opened their purses, contributing over three hundred jin more. They were clearly not ordinary people, or they wouldn't have spent fifty jin of 'source' to come to the Primordial Ancient Mine.

"Is that enough?" Old Dao-bazi asked.

Ye Fan himself took out five hundred jin of 'source' and said, "It's barely enough."

"Don't push it, we have more," they said. Hearing him, they contributed another three hundred jin, this time completely depleting their reserves.

Ye Fan took out one hundred and eight large banners, meticulously carving mysterious patterns onto them according to the records in the Origin Heaven Book. He intended to use offense as a form of defense, stabilizing the earth veins, sealing the divine sources, and forcefully carving out a path.

Of course, he knew that with his current strength, it was utterly impossible to stabilize a divine source. Unless he fully comprehended the Origin Heaven Book, he was still far from capable. However, he was twenty percent confident in his ability to alter the terrain within a small area. He planned to "disturb the grass to startle the snake," hoping to deter the sentient evil source.

An hour later, Ye Fan finished carving all one hundred and eight banners. He then whispered a caution to the others: "Stay close to me; do not wander off."

Hearing his caution, the other four, except for Old Dao-bazi, became extremely nervous.

With a 'thud,' Ye Fan planted one of the large banners into the ground. Using his finger as a knife, he carved a star map around the flagpole, then embedded more than ten jin of 'source' within it.

"Will this really work...?" one person wondered, unable to discern any effect.

"Look, the wisps of fog around the banner have significantly weakened," another more observant person noted, perceiving the change.

All of them revealed expressions of joy.

Ye Fan quickly set up the formation, not daring to delay for fear of an accident. In a short time, he had planted over a dozen banners, fluttering amidst the mist. This area immediately cleared considerably; the fog was dispersed, and the scenery was no longer blurry.

Suddenly, a 'whoosh'—

Not far away, a brilliant light erupted. The star map beneath one of the banners glowed exceptionally bright, standing out vividly in the night.

"Oh no, that creature is pulling up a banner!" someone shrieked.

"Snap..."

A banner snapped. A blurry, fleeting figure twisted and broke another banner before zipping away.

"Snap..."

In the distance, the second banner was struck down and fell to the ground. They only caught a fleeting glimpse of a furry, beast-like shadow before it vanished.

"What do we do? We just set these up, and it destroys them right after," Old Dao-bazi frowned.

"This is bad; things are not looking good." Ye Fan's heart sank. He had a premonition that this creature was of significant origin, and now he was even more certain: it was a spirit guardian of the divine source.

"What now?" the others asked.

"Whatever you do, do not harm it," Ye Fan solemnly warned. "This is merely the outermost spirit creature, the lowest-grade guardian according to the records in the Origin Heaven Book." Something must be sealed within this divine source! It's probable that a living, terrifying creature is sealed within this source; otherwise, such a powerful spirit would not be guarding a king. Normally, the powerful spirits are dormant, leaving only the weakest one to guard the source. If this one is harmed, it will surely awaken even more terrifying entities that are absolutely impossible to deal with.

"A divine source containing a living entity is definitely a rare treasure among divine sources. We haven't actually gotten close to the Primordial Ancient Mine, have we?" Ye Fan wondered aloud, a hint of unease in his voice.

He was truly in a predicament. This divine source was guarded by spirit creatures, so the "disturb the grass to startle the snake" tactic likely wouldn't work. Never mind what might be inside the divine source; even if a formidable guardian merely emerged, it would annihilate them all.

"What would an Origin Heaven Master do in this situation...?" Ye Fan mused to himself, pondering for a while.

After a quarter of an hour, Ye Fan inserted all the banners into a single location, carving a large astral map and embedding over a thousand jin of 'source.'

"Everyone, we have only one chance..." Ye Fan transmitted mentally: "In a moment, the terrain here will tremble, and the mist will momentarily part. The window will be very brief. If we fail to escape, we will surely die."

He was speaking the truth. There would be an earthquake here momentarily, which would likely rouse even more formidable spirit creatures. If they couldn't break through, they would be completely sealed within this place.

"Everyone, get ready; I'm about to act." Ye Fan threw the last hundred jin of 'source' towards the central area of the star map, where it instantly embedded.

In an instant, brilliant light shot skyward, tearing through the dark mist, and starlight cascaded down from above. The area violently trembled. Over a hundred banners burned fiercely, and the thousand jin of 'source' embedded in the ground transformed into endless vital energy, tearing open the earth. The carved star map corresponded to the celestial phenomena, drawing down points of starlight, and the ground shook violently.

"Go!"

Ye Fan was the first to rush out, with Old Dao-bazi close behind, fleeing desperately into the distance. Behind them, low growls echoed, as if something was awakening. Screams rang out, and blood rained down, but they didn't look back, pushing forward with all their might.

Before long, Ye Fan and Old Dao-bazi had both burst out, followed by two more. They didn't dare to stop for a moment, rushing straight towards the "Fire Dragon..." Behind them, mist surged, and that area was sealed once more. It wasn't until they neared the Fire Dragon Tomb that the remaining four could finally breathe a sigh of relief. That place was too eerie; from afar, clouds and mist surged, engulfing everything and blocking all light.

Outside, the moonlight was bright, stars filled the sky, and the night was like water.

"Thankfully, the 'Dragon's Blood' is here; otherwise, we'd be in big trouble." Ye Fan and the others stood by the small blood-colored lake, finding that no creatures had pursued them. "Whatever is sealed in that divine source must be terrifying." Ye Fan stroked his chin, further realizing that even if he were to become an Origin Heaven Master, he might still lose his life in dealing with it.

"One day, when my strength is sufficient and I've fully comprehended the Origin Heaven Book, I will dig you out!" Ye Fan declared, gazing at the misty area. It had only been a few hours, yet he had already discovered three divine sources. This Primordial Restricted Zone was indeed mysterious; he truly didn't know why it was like this.

"Let's go, let's leave here quickly. Although there's nothing overtly living here, this Dragon Rift Valley and the blood lake are unsettling," one of the surviving cultivators suggested.

Ye Fan nodded. Although it wasn't the time of day-night transition, staying near the Fire Dragon Tomb and Dragon's Blood was also very dangerous. They detoured for dozens of miles, staying well clear of the misty area and concealing their aura, fearing they would invite disaster. The bright moon hung high, its pure white light bathing the red earth, swirling like thin smoke. The scene was incredibly serene, nothing like a terrifying restricted zone, but rather a tranquil moonlit spot suitable for a stroll.

"Can we really get out alive? By direction, we're heading outwards, but why do I keep feeling like we're approaching the Primordial Ancient Mine step by step..."

"I have that uneasy feeling too." Two of the four expressed this sentiment.

Ye Fan also felt a mix of surprise and uncertainty, saying, "It seems there's some inexplicable power causing us to experience an illusion."

Old Dao-bazi also became unsure, saying, "Could it be that the power within the ancient mine is calling to us, leading us astray...?"

Unable to find their way back, the four climbed to a high point and gazed into the distance.

"It's over... we're all going to die!"

"Oh my God, human-shaped beings... taboo deities!"

The two cultivators' teeth were chattering, and their arms trembled as they pointed in the same direction. Hearing this, Ye Fan and Old Dao-bazi turned around to look ahead and were instantly petrified.

It was hard to tell the exact distance, but three figures stood on the horizon. Though very distant, their vague silhouettes were still discernible. The moonlight was like water, bathing the boundless earth in tranquility. The figures on the horizon were very blurry, almost ethereal. Evidently, the other party had also spotted the four of them.

One of them glowed with intense, dazzling light, standing on the horizon like a golden sun or a revered deity. Another had a slender physique, clad in snow-white robes with long, flowing hair, like a celestial maiden from the nine heavens, exuding an ethereal aura and shimmering with light. As for the figure in the middle, they were plain and indistinct, hazy and unreal, giving a highly illusory impression.

These three figures stood within the forbidden zone of life; the more they resembled deities, the more unsettling they became, evoking shivers of dread.

"I've walked the night roads my whole life, and now I've finally run into a ghost!" Old Dao-bazi sighed. He had frequented the vicinity of the Primordial Ancient Mine for decades, always encountering thrills but no true danger, but now he felt his odds were grim. The distance was too great to clearly discern their appearance, but their god-like aura was enough to convey everything.

Ye Fan also felt a pounding in his heart and said, "Let's run..."

The other two, with a hint of a whimper, felt their calves cramping. There were too many legends about the Primordial Ancient Mine; encountering such a situation, they felt there was no way out.

"Human-shaped beings, like deities..."

"We must have reached the central area of the Primordial Ancient Mine!"

Ye Fan was the first to act, descending the high ground. Once the three figures were out of sight, he crouched low and sprinted away. Although Old Dao-bazi looked aged, his legs were surprisingly nimble, not much slower than Ye Fan's, and he also sprinted away. The two behind them were trembling all over, stumbling and scrambling as they chased, fleeing for their lives.

Ye Fan ran for dozens of miles in one stretch before stopping. Old Dao-bazi wasn't far behind and also paused there. It was a long time before the other two finally caught up. The two were shaking like sieves, collapsing onto the ground. It wasn't from exhaustion, but purely from fright.

"Forbidden... we encountered such entities..." the two stammered incoherently, drenched in cold sweat.

"They didn't come to take our lives. Why is that?" Old Dao-bazi wondered.

All four were puzzled. Encounters with god-like creatures here were tantamount to a death sentence; even the great Holy Lords couldn't escape.

"It's good that we survived, let's leave quickly," Ye Fan urged.

They absolutely could not advance in that direction any longer. The four composed themselves and changed their direction to find a way out. After walking for about an hour, they all felt something was wrong.

"We're approaching the Primordial Ancient Mine!" Ye Fan and Old Dao-bazi exclaimed simultaneously.

Suppression, dread, sorrow, grief... radiated from ahead. It was a kind of emotion that made one lose control. They activated their divine eyes to gaze into the distance. At the far end of the earth, endless starlight cascaded down like flowing water, falling towards the ground. The boundless starlight converged into a river, a vast expanse of white, flowing into the end of the world. The inexplicable fluctuations emanated from that very place.

It had to be the Primordial Ancient Mine! The four made the same judgment, their hearts pounding wildly. It was probably no more than a hundred li away. Since ancient times, no Holy Lord from the Eastern Wasteland or Emperor from the Central Plains had ever returned alive after entering it!