Chapter 230: Extreme Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold

A blood-stained crescent moon lies horizontally on the ground, known as the Scarlet Moon Cavern. It is a forbidden land of extreme yin and softness, a terrifying cursed place that even the great Holy Lords must avoid.

A black sun has fallen beneath the ridge, giving rise to the Fallen Sun Ridge. This demonic land of extreme yang and hardness can incinerate everything in the world. Even emperors must steer clear, making it one of the most infamous dangerous places.

Witnessing just one of these places is enough to astound the world. The coexistence of both creates what can only be described as the ultimate demonic land from ancient times, a phenomenon rarely seen. Only three such places have ever existed throughout history, and they are almost impossible to penetrate.

Yet, Emperor Hengyu chose such a place to refine an ultimate weapon, a fact that seems utterly incredible and would horrify anyone hearing it for the first time.

"Is that Emperor truly so formidable?" Ye Fan asked, dumbfounded.

This location is the Primordial Restricted Zone, where the Scarlet Moon Cavern and Fallen Sun Ridge exist in tandem, amplifying their power. Emperor Hengyu's actions here are truly astounding.

"Naturally, he is formidable," came the reply. "How many Great Emperors have there been throughout history? The founder of the Ancient Desolate Jiang Family shook ancient and modern times, representing the pinnacle of human cultivation."

Ye Fan fell into a daze. Such a figure truly had a name that echoed through history. The fact that he dared to come to the Primordial Ancient Mine to refine weapons felt utterly incredible.

Throughout endless ages, all the great Holy Lords and emperors who entered this place never returned. Not even the Divine King of the Eastern Wasteland could prolong his life here.

Yet, this Great Emperor used the Primordial Restricted Zone as a place to forge weapons. What extraordinary bearing! It's a pity that time flows like water, preventing one from witnessing such an astonishing figure.

"Why did he choose to refine divine weapons here?"

Old Man Saber replied, "Emperor Hengyu's cultivation level surpassed all ancient and modern times. The entire Eastern Wasteland was under his might. Naturally, he would refine weapons in the best possible place, and even the Primordial Restricted Zone could not stop him."

"As long as he didn't enter the ancient mine itself, this restricted zone couldn't endanger him," Li Desheng said, his face filled with longing. "Legend has it, he was a person of great fortune, having obtained a divine phoenix bone. To refine it into an ultimate weapon, a special place was required, and only Fallen Sun Ridge met the criteria."

"A divine phoenix bone?" Ye Fan was astonished.

Legend says that true-blooded phoenixes are comparable to immortals and do not exist in this world. Yet, Emperor Hengyu had actually obtained such a thing; how could Ye Fan not be surprised?

"That's just a rumor. Where would one find a divine phoenix in this world?" The Saintess of the Jade Lake shook her head and said, "Emperor Hengyu obtained Phoenix Blood Redgold. This divine material is almost as valuable as a divine phoenix bone."

"Divine phoenixes do not exist in this world, but Phoenix Blood Redgold, this divine material, does," the Son of Yaoguang affirmed with a nod.

Phoenix Blood Redgold is rarely seen even over thousands of generations. It shines brilliantly, crimson like phoenix blood, exquisitely beautiful and naturally adorned with divine phoenix patterns.

Such a divine material is of immeasurable value. If it falls into the hands of a Great Emperor, it can certainly be forged into an ultimate weapon.

Fallen Sun Ridge, legend has it, was formed when the Son of the Heavenly Sun fell to earth, making it a forbidden land of extreme yang and hardness.

Phoenix Blood Redgold is extremely yang and scorching, indestructible and refined to the extreme. To forge it into an ultimate weapon, Fallen Sun Ridge is undoubtedly the premier choice.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerate, what does Phoenix Blood Redgold look like? Have any of you ever seen it?" Ye Fan asked Yao Xi and the Saintess of the Jade Lake.

The two beautiful women exchanged glances. Such a material is only encountered once every tens of thousands of years; who could have seen it? Otherwise, why would there be only a few ultimate weapons in the Eastern Wasteland?

A Great Emperor can only refine one ultimate weapon in their lifetime. This is not only due to the incredible difficulty but also because the required divine materials are exceedingly rare. Even searching the entire Eastern Wasteland, it is difficult to gather all the necessary components.

"Currently, only direct descendants of the Jiang Family have seen Phoenix Blood Redgold," the Son of Yaoguang replied. "It has been a full four or five thousand years since that ultimate weapon last appeared."

"But Emperor Hengyu is truly terrifying..." Ye Fan could only sigh.

Scarlet Moon Cavern and Fallen Sun Ridge existing together form what can be called the ultimate ancient dreaded land. Yet, he used it to forge weapons, a thought so audacious it was almost unimaginable.

Clearly, Fallen Sun Ridge's yang energy had been drained, contributing to the ultimate weapon forged from Phoenix Blood Redgold.

"What extraordinary bearing Emperor Hengyu had," Ye Fan murmured, lost in thought. "If I had such cultivation..."

"Daoist priest, if you had such divine power, what would you do?" Yao Xi asked, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

"Naturally... I would found an immortal imperial dynasty."

He almost blurted it out, changing his words mid-sentence. What he really thought was that he wanted to visit all the great holy lands, take their ancient scriptures for a look, and borrow their ultimate weapons to test their power.

"Let's hurry and leave. We can't stay here long," Old Man Saber said, his expression grim.

Ye Fan and the other five moved away from the Scarlet Moon Cavern, walking slightly closer to Fallen Sun Ridge. They prayed that no misfortune would occur; otherwise, no one could save them.

The cold moonlight stretched their shadows long. Li Desheng's Netherworld Eyes gleamed faintly as he nervously scanned his surroundings, constantly feeling as if something was lurking in the dark.

"Stop being so jumpy; you're making us all nervous," Old Man Saber said, glancing at him.

"I really feel like something's wrong, like a pair of eyes is watching us from the darkness, but I can never catch sight of it," Li Desheng said, feeling uneasy.

"No need to overthink it," the Son of Yaoguang said calmly. "As long as it doesn't appear, we'll treat it as nothing."

The six people continued forward, scanning their surroundings and carefully observing any movements. In this sinister land where sun and moon coexist, one wrong step could cost them their lives.

"Why is the moon so bright tonight? It's not a full moon," Old Man Saber wondered.

"It is indeed a bit unusual," Yao Xi agreed with a nod. "The moonlight is like water ripples, bathing the ground in silver."

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan suddenly stopped. He abruptly looked up and said, "Something's wrong."

"Daoist priest, have you found something?" the Saintess of the Jade Lake asked softly.

"It's not that the moonlight got brighter; it's a problem with the Scarlet Moon Cavern."

Ye Fan frowned, looking at the blood-red moon nearby.

Yao Xi was puzzled and said, "The Scarlet Moon Cavern doesn't seem unusual. How can it be its problem?"

"Let's move farther away. If we must, we'll enter Fallen Sun Ridge," Ye Fan said in a deep voice, leading the way towards the ruins. "Anyway, its yang energy is insufficient, and this Scarlet Moon Cavern makes me very uneasy."

The others speculated that Ye Fan must have learned profound Source Techniques, perhaps even obtaining fragments left by a legendary Source Heavenly Master. Seeing him so resolute, they naturally followed.

Not long after, the sound of shifting sand was heard. The Scarlet Moon Cavern glowed with a vivid red, like a surging tide, as ripples of blood-red energy appeared, swirling up some sand.

"This is... the Scarlet Moon Tide!" Ye Fan's expression changed drastically.

He recoiled as if from a viper, transforming into an afterimage as he dashed towards Fallen Sun Ridge.

Seeing this, the other five each used their divine abilities and quickly ran towards the ruins.

Li Desheng was the slowest and fell behind. The blood-red tide instantly swept over him, and he cried out in terror, "No!"

The blood-red ripples were very gentle, yet they emitted a terrifying aura. Li Desheng's face turned ashen. Gritting his teeth, he sacrificed a deity from his Dao Palace, placing it behind him as a shield.

Swish!

Silently, that deity turned into bloody pus. He fell with a thud among the ruins, his face extremely pale. It was a narrow escape; if he hadn't been decisive enough to abandon a deity at that crucial moment, he would have ceased to exist.

"This..."

Ye Fan's expression was grim as he said, "This is the Scarlet Moon Tide, surging from the Scarlet Moon Cavern. It can dissolve everything and cannot be resisted. Extreme softness breaks all laws."

The Scarlet Moon Cavern was clearly visible. On the ground lay a blood-stained crescent moon, drawing the moonlight from the sky as crimson light, like flowing water, swirled through the void.

"We should thank Emperor Hengyu," Ye Fan observed from the ruins. "If he hadn't broken Fallen Sun Ridge, with both yin and yang rising, we would have been annihilated, body and soul."

"Is there something under the Scarlet Moon Cavern and Fallen Sun Ridge..." Old Man Saber muttered to himself.

"I say, old man, stop muttering to yourself," Li Desheng said with a tearful voice. "Whenever you talk, something happens, and it's guaranteed to become reality in the end."

The six people walked forward, their only thought now to leave the Primordial Restricted Zone. At the same time, they prayed that Emperor Hengyu had completely dealt with Fallen Sun Ridge.

These ruins had long since decayed; broken walls and crumbling remains would turn to dust with a gentle touch. Even the stone pillars were no exception.

Ahead, there was a tranquil expanse where the ruins had all turned to ash. With careful perception, one could discern a faint black sun on the ground.

It was only a few hundred zhang in circumference, much smaller than the Scarlet Moon Cavern. Even after hundreds of thousands of years, its yang energy remained insufficient.

Surprisingly, beside the black sun stood an ancient building, towering majestically and not having collapsed. On it was a plaque with the two characters "Hengyu" carved into it.

"This is Emperor Hengyu's weapon-forging ground," someone said. The group was astonished and gazed at it intently.

This was not an ancient ruin; it was an ancient building left by Emperor Hengyu. Legend says he spent several years here, alone in the Primordial Restricted Zone, tempering his ultimate weapon.

This was his former residence. Although covered in dust, it still stood firm, with Daoist essence flowing within it.

What a magnificent spirit! Others entering the Primordial Restricted Zone were all terrified, and even emperors would fall dead, yet he lived in seclusion here for several years.

No one spoke, but they all made the same choice: they walked towards the ancient building, thinking that Emperor Hengyu's former residence might hold something extraordinary.

This building, constructed from massive source stones, was incredibly majestic. It gave off a feeling of the Great Dao being as vast as the sky and unreachable, embodying Emperor Hengyu's "Dao."

"So many bones..." Everyone's expressions changed.

They had been blocked by the building earlier and couldn't see it. Now, as they approached, they found that on the other side of the ancient building, skeletons were piled up into a small mountain.

Even after hundreds of thousands of years, those bones still shimmered with faint light. There were hundreds of them, most humanoid, but clearly not human.

"These bones are glowing, imagine the terrifying power they once held," someone mused. "Emperor Hengyu is too formidable. As expected, he is one of the few most powerful human cultivators in ancient times."

He alone killed so many terrifying creatures. If this news got out, it would surely shake the world. Judging by these skeletons, they were absolutely top-tier existences.

"This..."

All six people were stunned. To come to the Primordial Ancient Mine and slaughter so many—only ancient Great Emperors dared to do this!

"Emperor Hengyu is truly astonishing!"

"To kill here, and kill by the hundreds—these are all peak experts, their bones still shimmering."

"All just to forge an ultimate weapon..." Old Man Saber sighed.

Ancient Great Emperors were immensely talented and brilliant. They created ancient scriptures, which have been passed down to this day, flourishing several great holy lands.

Besides this, every Great Emperor would try every means to leave behind an ultimate weapon, as it served as an extension of their lives and could unleash their divine power.

In some sense, ultimate weapons are even more important than ancient scriptures!

"Emperor Hengyu, to refine Phoenix Blood Redgold into an ultimate weapon, truly unleashed imperial might!" the Son of Yaoguang sighed, his life's goal being to become a Great Emperor.

"What kind of weapon was the Phoenix Blood Redgold ultimately refined into?" Ye Fan asked, as he didn't know much about the Jiang Family's affairs.

"The Sun God Furnace," the Saintess of the Jade Lake replied.

"What?!" Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise.

"You're not thinking of your broken furnace, are you?" Old Man Saber said, taking a puff from his tobacco pipe.

Ye Fan gave an awkward smile. He took out his Li Fire God Furnace. Although the one-inch-tall divine furnace was clear and transparent, it was twisted and misshapen, almost like a squashed persimmon.

Although it had recovered considerably, it was still dented and pitted, not yet fully restored.

"Don't overthink it. How could the Jiang Family's ultimate weapon be lost outside?" Old Man Saber said dismissively. "Besides, this broken furnace, other than being sturdy, has nothing remarkable about its power or anything else."

"The Sun God Furnace hasn't appeared for four or five thousand years; the world has almost forgotten its form," the Son of Yaoguang said.

"How terrifying are ultimate weapons?" Ye Fan asked.

"Unimaginably terrifying," Old Man Saber replied. "The deeper the wielder's divine power, the greater the power unleashed. At its peak, it can display the Great Emperor's supreme divine might."

They did not linger there. As they spoke, they entered the ancient building, wanting to see if Emperor Hengyu had left anything behind.

Ye Fan was shocked. Didn't that represent the human race's strongest divine might?! It could completely sweep across the world, encountering no rivals.

"Unfortunately, ultimate weapons consume too much divine power; ordinary people cannot use them," the Saintess of the Jade Lake shook her head and said. "After all, they are the exclusive weapons of Ancient Desolate Great Emperors."

"If it were a confrontation between cultivators of the same level, and one person wielded an ultimate weapon, what kind of effect would that have?"

The Son of Yaoguang smiled and said, "Taking the Sun God Furnace as an example: in the past, when Divine King Jiang Taixu battled a peerless figure from Central Province who was no weaker than him, as soon as the Sun God Furnace appeared, his opponent was incinerated to ash."

"That's too terrifying..." Li Desheng shivered upon hearing it.

"A perfected Divine King of the Eastern Wasteland is too far for us to fathom," the Saintess of the Jade Lake replied. "But speaking only of the great Holy Lords, if they wield an ultimate weapon, they can easily obliterate a peerless powerful being."

"Unfortunately, the ultimate weapons of your great holy lands are almost unusable," Old Man Saber said, shaking his head. "They are all used to suppress the so-called 'foundations'."

"You know all this..." A fierce golden light flashed in the Son of Yaoguang's eyes and then disappeared.

Yao Xi changed the subject and said, "When the Seventh Great Bandit Tu Tian and Green Flood Dragon King teamed up and wielded an ultimate weapon, they almost caused our Yaoguang Supreme Elders to suffer a bitter end. And that wasn't even a complete ultimate weapon."

Ye Fan knew this; he had witnessed it with his own eyes. After the Peacock King held off the Yaoguang Holy Lord, Tu Tian and Green Flood Dragon King jointly activated the pottery jar, almost crushing the old experts of the Yaoguang Holy Land to death.

"That was the ancient demonic artifact — the Heaven-Devouring Cauldron," Old Man Saber said, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, it lacks its pottery lid, so it cannot fully unleash its ultimate divine power."

By now, they had entered the ancient building. The main hall inside was very ancient, tall, and spacious, giving a sense of endless Grand Dao.

On the ground, there was a lot of ash, completely black. The group split up and began searching.

Ye Fan activated his Observation Art, scanning the entire hall. Suddenly, his heart trembled, pounding erratically.

The Observation Art could discern the great secrets of mountains and terrain and identify the origins of objects.

At this moment, he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. An object was dazzlingly bright, more brilliant than the true sun itself, making it impossible for him to look directly at it.

"Could it be Divine Source?" Ye Fan's excitement was irrepressible.

Beside the ash, he picked up a black stone. It was only fist-sized, but its divine light was so dazzling that his eyes watered.

Ye Fan quickly put away his Observation Art, fearing that this divine object would blind him.

This source stone was very ordinary. If not for the Observation Art, one wouldn't notice anything special about it.

"This is like a divine sun, unbearably brilliant. It must be Divine Source!"

Ye Fan walked over, intending to pick up the black stone, but he was greatly surprised when he couldn't lift it on his first attempt.

Clang!

The black stone fell to the ground, shaking the entire great hall.

"It's only fist-sized, yet it weighs several tons!"

Everyone looked over. With that jolt, some of the black stone's outer skin flaked off, and a dazzling crimson light shot out, brilliant as a rainbow, extremely blinding, and impossible to look at directly.

"Phoenix Blood Redgold!"

"Heavens, it truly is Phoenix Blood Redgold!"

The group exclaimed simultaneously.

Ye Fan exerted force and scooped the black stone into his hand. He took a few steps back, realizing that inside the stone skin was not Divine Source, but Phoenix Blood Redgold—a material rarely seen even over thousands of generations!