Chapter 422: Ancient Wasteland

Shrouding the Heavens: Chapter 426 – Ancient Desolate Lands

The night moon was bright and clear, an lone boat drifting downstream. The river sparkled with moonlight, and occasionally, fish leaped from the water, creating ripples.

Tall mountains loomed on both banks, and the cries of apes and roars of tigers disrupted the night’s tranquility, adding a lively element to the scene.

Ye Huiling stood on the small boat, her long hair gently swaying. Her skin was like lustrous jade, and a jade flute gleamed beneath her red lips, producing an ethereal, melodious sound that lingered like heavenly music.

She smiled and frankly stated she had come for the immortal medicine. However, even with the Heaven-Covering Robe, it would be impossible to penetrate the Seven Great Life Restricted Zones; few in the world could achieve such a feat.

In addition, Ye Fan received some unwelcome news: many people had arrived from the Central Plains, all intent on acquiring the immortal medicine.

“Why is this happening?”

“An Old Imperial Lord from an Immortal Dynasty in the Central Plains is nearing the end of his lifespan, and a Supreme Sect Master, no weaker than the Old Imperial Lord, from one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, is also facing the end of his days. Neither of them wishes to pass away.”

Ye Fan gazed at the moon, deep in thought. A storm was brewing in the Central Plains as a Peerless Imperial Lord and a Supreme Sect Master sought to extend their lives, dragging him into the volatile situation. This journey was now full of uncertainties.

He had to be prepared; otherwise, a single misstep might lead to lifelong regret, for there was no medicine for regret in the world.

“You don’t need to worry. Since ancient times, no Old Saint Lord who ventured deep into the Restricted Zones and the Great Wilderness has ever been heard from again. It’s almost impossible to succeed.”

Ye Huiling’s eyes, like black gemstones, seemed to see into others’ minds. She possessed a pure and ethereal aura, and her smile overshadowed the bright moon.

“It would be difficult for me to harvest the immortal medicine. If you lend me the Heaven-Covering Robe, I might very well let down your good intentions, Miss Ye.”

Naturally, no one in the world would give away a treasure robe for no reason. Ye Huiling had also come for the immortal medicine, but she deeply understood the terror of those Restricted Zones; they were not places ordinary people could easily enter.

“Given your physical body, if you wear the Heaven-Covering Robe, your chances are quite good,” Ye Huiling said, her cheeks glowing.

Ye Fan smiled too, shaking his head. “Everyone knows I have Dao scars within me. Even if I were to harvest a mature immortal medicine, it would be difficult to heal them.”

“In this world, sometimes we have no choice but to take a gamble with what we experience,” Ye Huiling said, her smile pure.

Ye Fan did not explicitly state that he was truly going to a Life Restricted Zone. Before he could act, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself, so he naturally wouldn’t reveal too much.

It was also unlikely that Ye Huiling would lend him the robe immediately. There were still variables involved, and this was only their first meeting. She had already stated that she needed to consider it.

The East Wasteland had seven great Life Restricted Zones, endlessly mysterious. These were the last seven places where primeval divine medicine might still exist; in other primordial wildernesses, the chances were slim.

Ye Huiling meticulously analyzed and ruled out possibilities, concluding that the Immortal Dynasty from the Central Plains and that Supreme Sect would eventually come to this region.

This was because, while all seven great Life Restricted Zones were rumored to contain immortal medicine, only this specific location had records of it being seen in ancient texts.

The river grew swift, the monkeys on both banks chattered ceaselessly, and the light boat had already passed countless mountains.

Beside the water stood thousand-fathom cliffs. The small boat moved like an arrow, and Ye Huiling ascended into the night sky, her robes fluttering. She was like Chang’e flying to the moon, leaving behind only a beautiful silhouette.

She arranged to meet Ye Fan outside the Restricted Zone in the future. If they reached an agreement, she would bring the Heaven-Covering Robe to lend him then.

Ye Fan felt time was pressing and dared not linger on the road. Once the powerful figures from the Central Plains arrived, there would be many complications, and the difficulties would significantly increase.

Over 1.5 million li separated him from his destination, an extremely long distance. Ye Fan took out his Profound Jade Platform and began traversing the void. These were small, single-direction spatial gates, each capable of traveling tens of thousands of li.

In this manner, Ye Fan expended a great deal of his source energy, finally arriving at a familiar place.

He had returned to the Southern Region with a clear objective: to re-enter the Ancient Desolate Restricted Zone, ascend the Nine Sacred Mountains, drink from the divine spring, eat sacred fruits, and recuperate in that primordial realm.

He knew little about the other Life Restricted Zones, but this was the only place where he had truly seen divine medicine, and he felt most confident here, as he had succeeded before.

Of course, he dared not be careless. Based on later understanding, the Ancient Desolate Restricted Zone was terrifying. His previous two untouched passages were due to the presence of the bronze coffin.

Otherwise, the abyss there was almost unapproachable. People would inexplicably die merely by standing at the foot of the sacred mountains, let alone climbing them. It had always been a place of no return.

Pang Bo had personally experienced it. He had read a vast number of ancient texts in the Demon Clan Holy Land and gained more insights. He told Ye Fan his deduction: it must have been the Nine Dragons pulling the coffin landing on the mountain peak that neutralized the peerless curse.

Several years had passed, and Ye Fan didn't know if he would find tranquility ascending the mountain again. He felt no certainty in his heart, yet there was no turning back.

Back in the Southern Region, Ye Fan was lost in thought, wondering how his former classmates were doing: Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Zhang Ziling, Liu Yiyi, Li Xiaoman…

They had come to this world together, and he imagined they had all taken different life paths. Perhaps they would meet again soon.

As he passed by the Tai Xuan Sect, a super great sect of the Southern Region, Ye Fan stood on a high mountain and gazed into the distance. Its 108 main peaks presented a magnificent sight, like a divine land.

Clumsy Peak, the Great Dao of Nature, the Nine Secrets… many things came to his mind: Li Ruoyu, Ji Ziyue, Hua Yunfei, Li Xiaoman… many past events had occurred here.

He did not linger. Before he harvested the divine medicine, it was not appropriate for him to show himself, otherwise, it would likely cause many disturbances and invite great trouble.

That day, Ye Fan entered the Yan Kingdom, the starting point where they had crossed galaxies to arrive in this world.

Yan, spanning 2,000 li from north to south and 3,000 li from east to west, was but a drop in the ocean in the East Wasteland. Such countries were innumerable.

It was known to the world, without a doubt, because of the Ancient Desolate Restricted Zone in its central region. From ancient times to the present, it had left behind too many legends. Countless peerless masters had perished here, and even supreme sacred lands had been destroyed within it.

Stepping onto this land, Ye Fan felt a stir of excitement. He truly wanted to find his classmates; they had come from the other end of the starry sky and shared similar experiences.

Ye Fan entered the Yan Capital, revisiting familiar places. The city was bustling with traffic, pedestrians crowded the streets, and the cries of vendors filled the air, ceaseless and lively.

“Crispy fried chicken wings, money back if not delicious!”

“Zhang’s Soup Dumplings, thin skin, generous filling, juicy and delicious! Come and try them!”

Ye Fan smiled. It was as it had been, without any change, as if he had never left.

“Big Brother… I’m hungry. Please buy me a bun, please. Nannan is very, very hungry.”

Suddenly, a tender and pitiful voice reached him. Someone was gently tugging his pant leg.

Ye Fan looked down and found a grubby, pathetic little girl blinking her big eyes, looking up at him.

She appeared to be only three or four years old. Her clothes were ragged and torn, and her face was covered in grime, yet her eyes alone were remarkably clear.

“Nannan is so hungry, Big Brother, please be kind and buy me a bun.” The little girl was timid and appeared very afraid, her eyes brimming with tears, as if she had been starving for many days.

Ye Fan’s heart ached a little. He bought some hot, steaming soup dumplings and handed them to her, telling her to eat slowly and be careful not to burn herself.

Then, he stood up and walked away. He had too many matters to deal with, and even though he felt pity, he could not possibly take her to the Ancient Desolate Restricted Zone.

The little girl was very grateful. She watched him disappear, her big eyes brimming with tears. Despite the heat, she began to wolf down the food.

Suddenly, Ye Fan stopped. The scene just now felt too familiar. Three years ago, in the same city, on the same street, something similar had happened.

His body stiffened, and he suddenly remembered. It was the same little girl—the ragged clothes, the grubby little face, the tear-filled eyes, completely identical.

Three years had passed, yet she hadn’t changed at all. She was as she was before, heartbreaking and pitiable.

How could this be?

Ye Fan wheeled around and ran back quickly. He couldn’t believe that a child hadn’t changed at all after three years; this was clearly unusual.

He felt that the little girl was not disguised, but she was certainly not an ordinary child. There were no such pure and innocent eyes in the world, and her pitiable appearance made one’s heart tremble at first sight.

People came and went on the street, flowing endlessly. Ye Fan searched carefully, but then suddenly stopped, recalling his divine sense and no longer emitting it.

This was because he had encountered peerless masters. Ahead were four great figures, wearing dragon crowns, with dragon qi coiling around them. They were majestic and imposing, moving with powerful strides, possessing an awe-inspiring presence that seemed to command worship, as if heavenly emperors had descended.

Having reached such a cultivation realm, they disdained to conceal their power, nor did they need to. Above each of them, an ancestral dragon head materialized.

These were the four peak figures from the Guhua Dynasty.

Ye Fan had seen them before in the Divine City. They had bid 410,000 jin of source energy at the Celestial Demon Treasure Pavilion to purchase the extremely incomplete humanoid divine medicine he had unearthed, which was only a foot remaining.

“That’s it!”

It dawned on Ye Fan that the Old Saint Lord of the Guhua Dynasty was nearing the end of his lifespan, and they were searching everywhere for immortal medicine to prolong his life.

This time, the Immortal Dynasty from the Central Plains who wanted to enter the Ancient Desolate Restricted Zone was undoubtedly them. He presumed someone from the other Supreme Sect had also arrived.

Due to this delay, Ye Fan searched for the little girl again but found no trace of her, unsure where the crowd had pushed her. He frowned slightly, then chose a direction at the crossroads and walked on.

“Stop following me all the time!”

Ahead, the sweet voice of a young girl came, though it sounded like she was pouting.

Ye Fan was surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter Ji Ziyue here. She wore a purple robe, ethereal and graceful, her hair like a waterfall. She wrinkled her delicate nose and ground her shiny little canine teeth.

Around her, a group of people surrounded and protected her as she moved forward.

“Oh no, Ye Fan is there!” Ji Ziyue suddenly exclaimed, pointing forward.

All the people surrounding her were startled and simultaneously looked back. Ji Ziyue immediately jumped up, lifted a corner of her purple skirt, and ran off, trying to break free. It was very lively and amusing.

Ye Fan was surprised. Her cultivation had clearly been sealed; otherwise, she would have flown away long ago.

On the street, an old woman stepped out and grabbed Ji Ziyue’s arm, making her stop. “You’re getting naughtier and naughtier,” she said.

“I don’t want you to follow me!” Ji Ziyue pouted.

The old woman quickly disappeared, and the earlier group surrounded Ji Ziyue once more.

Ye Fan’s face darkened. He saw Ji Hui. That old woman was indeed her. All the past grievances and animosities, he could say, had originated from her.

Back then, when he had escorted Ji Ziyue home, Ji Hui had repaid kindness with enmity. Not only did she show no gratitude, but she also sent Ji Ren to hunt him down, and finally pursued him herself.

The series of troubles that followed had all originated from Ji Hui’s pursuit. Ye Fan could say that his most hated person was this old woman.

“This old hag must have anticipated my return. She actually set a trap for me and still wants to deal with me!”