Chapter 423: Penalty Area

Chapter 427: Restricted Zone

Ji Ziyue was accompanied by many people, but they didn't catch Ye Fan's eye. What truly made him wary were the powerful individuals lurking in the shadows, including elders from the Dragon Transformation realm.

"Ji Hui... that old hag."

In the past, he had escorted Ji Ziyue back over a thousand li, but instead of showing gratitude, Ji Hui nearly ruined him completely. He had never hated anyone so much.

Ye Fan secretly kept an eye on Ji Hui, several times almost unable to resist attacking. With his current indestructible physical body, silently following her would be enough to kill her with a single strike.

However, he ultimately held back. Impatience spoils great plans. He was there for the Immortal Divine Medicine in the Primordial Restricted Zone. Killing Ji Hui and revealing his whereabouts would introduce too many variables.

In this region, the Ji family and Yaoguang Sect were the absolute rulers. This was their sphere of influence, and no one could shake their position.

"You're all so annoying, I'm not going!" Ji Ziyue squatted on the ground, pouting and refusing to get up.

Her large, mischievous eyes darted around as she continued to look for an opportunity to escape. She set her sights on the people from the Guhua Dynasty, hoping to use their power.

Many cultivators had arrived in Yan Capital. The people from the Guhua Dynasty made no attempt to conceal their identity; some wore Guhua dragon robes, and others had draconic energy swirling around them.

Ye Fan pondered for a while, then decided not to follow. He continued searching the city for the little girl, but even with his divine sense as vast as the sea, he couldn't find her.

He inquired with some people, but they all said there were many abandoned children in the city and didn't know which one he was referring to. No one had paid special attention, so he got no results.

Ye Fan checked into an inn, renting a quiet courtyard, and began refining his stone garment. This garment was crucial for his entry into and exit from the Primordial Restricted Zone, and thus fundamental to his success.

The stone skin of Divine Source was not strong enough to be used as armor, but it could isolate all aura and energy, making it a peculiar material.

Source Masters all possessed Divine Source stone garments, invaluable treasures for entering dangerous lands and ancient deep mountain mines. As the successor to a Heavenly Source Master, Ye Fan naturally understood this.

The "Six Sealing Immortals" was a supreme Source Art that required six types of Divine Source stone skin as materials. This art was close to the Dao, capable of not only sealing sources but also sealing mountains, rivers, the earth, and even peerless masters.

However, regrettably, the Heavenly Source Scroll only contained a few lines of text about it, extremely abstruse and difficult to comprehend. It was an incomplete, theoretical supreme Source Art.

Ye Fan painstakingly meditated for a long time. Based on those ancient characters, he exhausted his efforts and only managed to grasp one or two tenths of it, enough to achieve slightly more than the first seal of the "Six Sealing Immortals."

But this was sufficient. Although he had collected many stone skins, he only had two types, making it impossible to gather all six ancient materials.

All the Divine Sources Ye Fan had obtained were golden. Other types were extremely rare and hard to come by.

That day, when he dueled with the Source Art family, Nangong Qi cut open the blood sacrifice platform, revealing a silver Source that shimmered like stars and the moon, sealing a young girl within.

At the time, he didn't know the origin of that Source, only realizing afterward that it was a more precious and extremely rare type of Divine Source. This stone skin naturally fell into his hands.

For seven days and seven nights straight, Ye Fan nearly exhausted his vitality and put forth his utmost effort, destroying seventy to eighty percent of the stone skins before finally creating the stone garment, with the two ancient materials fused together.

It wasn't enough for the stone garment to simply take shape. During those days, Ye Fan poured his heart and soul into it, focusing all his mind to engrave thousands of Heavenly Source patterns into the garment.

The engraved divine patterns were profound and intricate, each line and strand condensing his essence, qi, and spirit—the ultimate manifestation of the Source Art he currently commanded.

Ye Fan transformed his boundless insights and numerous profound Source Arts into tangible divine patterns, refining them into the stone garment according to the records in the Heavenly Source Scroll.

After completing all this, he was almost completely exhausted, too tired to even move a finger, and it took a long time for him to recover.

The stone garment was plain and natural, showing no extraordinary features. It didn't look like the work of a Source Art master, reflecting a return to simplicity.

Yet, Ye Fan was very satisfied. This was his only masterpiece to date. Once worn, it felt as though he was isolated from the entire world, situated in another void.

Upon emerging from his seclusion, he immediately noticed something unusual: a large number of cultivators had arrived in Yan Capital, and the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Another supreme sect from the Central Plains had finally arrived.

The Yin-Yang Sect had an extremely ancient and long heritage, traceable back to the dawn of humanity. Emulating the natural world, their power was immense and terrifying.

Among the numerous sects and schools in the Central Plains, it ranked among the top, considered a sacred land. Although it had never produced a Great Emperor or possess an Ultimate Emperor Armament, it was comparable to the four immortal dynasties.

Branches of the Yin-Yang Sect were spread across the world, even in the desolate Northern Region. However, its origin lay in the Central Plains, and it had remained prosperous and enduring since ancient times.

Aside from the Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect, many other major powers had also arrived, unable to resist the temptation. Immortal Divine Medicine was a veritable immortal treasure, something only ancient Great Emperors had cultivated. It was now extinct in the world, with only a few remaining in the restricted zones.

Ye Fan flickered several times, transforming into a streak of light as he shot out of Yan Capital and flew towards the ancient primeval forest where the Primordial Restricted Zone was located. He was truly afraid that someone else would get there first, leaving him no place to cry.

The eight-hundred-li ancient primeval forest retained an archaic appearance. Many cultivators had already arrived in the outer regions, and quite a few had ventured deep inside.

Ye Fan's heart sank, feeling a sense of unease. Were the Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect about to make their move?

After advancing several hundred li, no one dared to continue flying, as a small number of incredibly terrifying beings resided outside the restricted zone.

Some demon races had chosen to transform into human form very early on, while others consistently chose to cultivate in their original forms, continuously evolving as beast kings. It was hard to say which was weaker or stronger.

However, demon races that did not choose to evolve into human form were usually inherently powerful and exceedingly proud species, unwilling to integrate into a human-dominated world.

Many knew that such beings resided outside the Primordial Restricted Zone. They were devoid of human nature, and if provoked, they would readily unleash mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Ye Fan ventured deeper and encountered several rogue cultivators. Only after learning the details did he breathe a sigh of relief.

The Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect had no immediate plans to enter. They were merely scouting ahead and making detailed preparations.

Ahead, roars shook the heavens, mountains trembled, and leaves scattered wildly in the ancient forest. The earth itself quaked, and it was a long time before it settled down.

"It's terrifying! An exotic beast fought the Imperial Uncle of the Guhua Dynasty to a draw!"

This astonishing news shocked the rogue cultivators who had gathered there, causing their expressions to change. An exotic beast that could stand its ground against a Saint Lord-level figure—how terrifying was that?

Ye Fan advanced with over a dozen rogue cultivators, arriving at the site of the recent battle. Here, there was a deathly silence, devoid of vegetation, birds, or insects. In front of a pile of scattered rocks, there was a huge lake.

It was as still as a block of iron, without a single ripple. What was most surprising was its color: pitch black, like ink, a horrifying shade of black.

This was a barren wasteland; not even a single blade of grass grew nearby. The black lake was deathly still, showing no signs of life—truly "evil water."

Several rogue cultivators who had witnessed the battle all turned pale, one of them trembling as he whispered, "It's the legendary Black Gold Cicada!"

The Black Gold Cicada was an ancient exotic beast, rarely seen in the world as time passed. It was only occasionally spotted in the Great Wilderness after thousands of years.

Soon after, Ye Fan and some others approached the edge of the Primordial Restricted Zone. People from the Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect stood on two separate mountain peaks, gazing forward.

In addition, over a hundred rogue cultivators were also observing from afar. They were still several li from the actual restricted zone, but no one dared to take another step forward. They faced this forbidden land with profound reverence, knowing it could easily strip away a person's entire lifetime.

Ye Fan clearly sensed something abnormal. The Primordial Restricted Zone was even more terrifying than before. He had entered it previously and was sensitive to the "desolate" aura, which had grown many times stronger.

This was not a good sign. He couldn't help but frown, lowering his head in thought.

Someone whispered that the Guhua Dynasty had brought a divine garment, left behind by an ancient sage after his Nirvana, marveling at such a peerless artifact and suggesting it might lead to success. They truly spared no expense.

Ye Fan's heart pounded. This was extremely bad news. He had personally witnessed how terrifying the divine garment of an ancient sage was—it could easily break through even the Pure Land of a peerless Divine King.

Another rumor spread that the Yin-Yang Sect was also well-prepared. It was said they traveled far to the Northern Region to enlist the ancient Source Art family to refine some mysterious stone garments, which could reportedly weaken the aura of curses. Both these major powers had put in tremendous effort; they were determined to succeed!

Upon hearing this news, Ye Fan finally found it difficult to remain calm. Someone else, like him, had prepared a stone garment, and there was even a divine garment of an ancient sage. The situation was not optimistic.

He desperately wanted to enter the restricted zone immediately, but he discovered that the Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect had each built high platforms on separate mountain peaks, intending to establish a long-term presence there to observe the nine sacred mountains.

"This is bad," Ye Fan murmured, stroking his chin and pondering carefully. This entire situation was truly unfavorable for him.

Ultimately, the Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect left behind their peak experts, while everyone else retreated. This place was impossible to stay in for long; should an exotic beast charge out, it could wipe out the entire group.

Seeing this, the many rogue cultivators quickly retreated. They had no courage to face a terrifying existence like the Black Gold Cicada; once it appeared, no one would survive.

Ye Fan also had to retreat, otherwise, the remaining supreme experts would surely notice something amiss.

Over the next half-month, the Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect took no action, continuing their observation with great patience.

For Ye Fan, this was truly a source of pressure. He had at most half a year left to live, possibly even less than a hundred days, and he couldn't afford to waste time.

During this time, Ye Huiling arrived, but Ye Fan had not yet met with her. He needed to quietly observe the situation.

Later, Wang Chongxiao also arrived, defeating young masters of the Southern Region consecutively and sweeping all before him. He then fought a great battle with the chief disciple of the Yin-Yang Sect, causing quite a stir.

Ye Fan's heart gradually calmed down. For now, he could only wait and see, having considered various possibilities.

Immortal Divine Medicine possessed sentience and could choose its own dwelling place. Few existed even in the Primordial Era, and it was rumored that to avoid being harvested by mortals, they all flew into the Seven Great Life Restricted Zones.

There were nine kinds of sacred fruits on the nine sacred mountains. Legend had it that the original main root was divided into nine by someone who wished to create more Immortal Divine Medicines, but something unexpected happened...

These were all things Ye Fan had recently learned, discovering many secrets he hadn't known before.

While waiting, Ye Fan encountered an old acquaintance in a small tavern in Yan Capital, which astonished him: it was Zhang Wenchang, his old classmate who was naturally reticent.

Zhang Wenchang's temples were streaked with white, and he looked old and decrepit, without a hint of youthful vitality. He had never fully recovered after emerging from the Primordial Restricted Zone, and this small tavern was his.

Ye Fan recalled the scene when they were heavily drunk together in the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven: the reticent Zhang Wenchang, after getting drunk, had cried, yearning to return to his hometown. When he left, his wife was already pregnant, and their child was about to be born; he hated that he wasn't by her side.

Several years had passed, and he looked even older, filled with a sense of melancholy. Clearly, life had not been kind to him, as he had even left the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven to open a small tavern here.

"Old man, did your friend really not come back?" A young man in the tavern asked arrogantly, casting a disdainful glance at Zhang Wenchang.

"No..." Zhang Wenchang's eyes were dull, devoid of any light.

Another young man spoke up, saying, "Aunt-Ancestor Ji Hui predicted he would return. He's sure to come see you. Old useless one, if you know anything, tell us immediately!"

Upon hearing these words, Ye Fan's face immediately darkened, and a cold sneer appeared at the corner of his lips.