Chapter 426: Secrets and Entering the Forbidden Land

The Northern Territory is rich in resources and home to terrifying creatures that have been dormant since primordial times. From ancient times to the present, it has always been a land of great happenings.

The Primordial Ancient Mine spans countless eons. Its shadow has, to varying degrees, fallen upon the Dark Ages, the Great Calamity of the Desolate Era, and the great disasters that befell humanity, leaving behind endless legends.

Since the dawn of humankind, countless peerless heroes have entered it in their twilight years. Tragically, they never returned, and no one has ever been known to reappear in the world.

One month after Ye Fan's departure, astounding news arrived from the Northern Territory: the Sacred Lands, having explored an ancient temple within the Primordial Forbidden Zone, returned defeated and suffered heavy casualties.

The entire world was shocked. No one had imagined that the Sacred Lands would dare to enter the Primordial Forbidden Zone and engage in a bloody battle with unknown creatures in an ancient temple.

The Sacred Lands had kept everything extremely secret; not a single piece of news leaked out beforehand. It was unknown how long they had been preparing, and only after the operation failed did people learn about it.

People were deeply shocked that the Sacred Lands had actually entered the Primordial Forbidden Zone. This was truly too abrupt; they must have discovered some earth-shattering secret, otherwise, why would they take such a risk!

There was a buzz of discussion everywhere as people talked about it. To their surprise, they discovered that there had been signs of this matter long ago.

A year ago, beautiful music had emanated from the Primordial Forbidden Zone. Some people saw a woman of peerless beauty traveling, which shook the Northern Territory and spread throughout many great sects.

It was from that time on that all great events in the world converged on the Northern Territory. Both the younger generation and supreme sect leaders began their journey north.

Ye Fan still clearly remembered that the Azure Dragon King had specifically come to the Southern Territory to invite the Peacock King to the north. It was also at that time that all the Holy Sons and Holy Maidens departed for the north.

"So that's it!"

He suddenly realized that the Primordial Forbidden Zone must have held an extraordinary discovery, something that truly agitated the Sacred Lands, prompting them to spend an entire year preparing.

Connecting the dots, everything made sense: why the Northern Territory had been in turmoil for a year, with all kinds of figures emerging, as if it were the center of the world.

Within the Primordial Forbidden Zone, a world-shaking ancient temple appeared, and the enchanting voice of an astounding goddess was heard. Unfortunately, the Sacred Lands ultimately retreated, failing to obtain everything.

However, they must have gained a lot, after all, they had prepared for over a year.

As Ye Fan found Ye Huiling, another astounding piece of news spread, still from the Northern Territory!

The ancient Sky-Swallowing Demonic Pot had appeared; rumors had circulated for several months, and its burial place was finally discovered. The result was a blood-soaked cavern, with countless experts dead or wounded.

The sacred weapon of an ancient Great Emperor captivated everyone's attention. As soon as this news broke, the world was shaken once again!

People had reason to suspect such a coincidence: why, just as the Sacred Lands returned defeated from the Primordial Forbidden Zone, did the lid of the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Pot appear?

Soon, precise news arrived: many Grand Elders of the Sacred Lands were killed or wounded, and the younger generation was almost completely annihilated.

There had long been a rumor that opening the Ruthless One's Dao field required the combined efforts of various physiques, such as the Heavenly Demon Body, Divine Body, and Holy Body, and a sacred offering had to be made with their blood.

Now, it had indeed come true: various Kings rose together and used their blood to open the Dao field of the most Ruthless One of ancient times, but what awaited them was merciless slaughter.

The hidden armory of the ancient Great Emperor was inscribed with world-shocking array patterns. No matter how prodigious one's talent, they could not withstand a single blow; it pierced through heaven and earth, destroying everything and sweeping all before it.

If not for the critical moment when the Azure Dragon King took hold of the Azure Emperor's sacred weapon and the Seventh Grand Bandit, Tu Tian, attacked with the demonic pot, managing to carve out a difficult path, no one would have survived!

The world was shaken. The most Ruthless One of ancient times was indeed merciless—ruthless to himself, and even more ruthless to anyone who dared to offend him—almost annihilating all the elites of the Eastern Wasteland's younger generation.

The Divine King Body of the Ji Family, Yan Ruyu, the Divine King Body of the Jiang Family, the Heavenly Demon Body, the Innate Dao Embryo, Xia Jiuyou, the Yao Guang Holy Son, and others all suffered severe injuries, barely escaping complete annihilation of body and spirit.

"Too ruthless!" people exclaimed. "He forged himself into a weapon and showed no mercy to future generations. Truly deserving of being called the most unprovokable person of ancient times!"

"He created the Undying Heavenly Art," others added, "transforming a divine embryo from his aging body. He refined his own aging body. Legend has it that he might be the longest-lived among the ancient Great Emperors."

When Ye Fan learned the news, his first thought was a conspiracy!

This was because the Black Sovereign, who was knowledgeable in ancient and modern times, had once made various predictions and told him many secrets.

Indeed, more precise news spread, and he discovered clues: the Heavenly Demon Body, Divine Body, Innate Dao Embryo, and others were trapped in the Ruthless One's Dao field, and their origins were almost stripped away.

"This..."

This aligned with the secrets the Black Sovereign had told him: the most Ruthless One of ancient times, though born of flesh and blood, overwhelmed all the kings and ultimately achieved the path of a supreme Great Emperor. Before creating the Undying Heavenly Art, he had also created the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Art.

When this art was first perfected, everyone in the world pursued him because he could devour the origins of others. The Ruthless One faced countless near-death experiences throughout his life, having more enemies than even the Unbegun Great Emperor.

These secrets had long vanished in the river of history, and only the Black Sovereign still remembered them. Almost no one in the world knew that the precursor to the Undying Heavenly Art was the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Art.

"Could it be that, as the Black Sovereign said, someone has truly obtained the inheritance of the most Ruthless One of ancient times?" Ye Fan shivered.

In the distant Northern Territory, the Black Sovereign was furious, howling and yelping. Staring at that Dao field, it was going crazy, almost biting Pang Bo, Tu Fei, and Li Heishui.

It was at the critical moment that it stopped Pang Bo and the others, preventing them from entering the Ruthless One's Dao field, thus avoiding a massive calamity.

However, the Black Sovereign was enraged because it discovered that someone had already visited the Dao field, and the lid of the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Pot must have been taken.

The final outcome also proved its guess: disaster struck, and many cultivators barely escaped, failing to obtain that half of the Extreme Dao Sacred Weapon, and were almost entirely annihilated.

Furthermore, another person remained composed and did not enter: the unscrupulous Daoist Duan De. After arriving, he was first astonished, then narrowed his eyes, and did not take a single step inside.

After Ye Fan learned all of this and recalled the secrets the Black Sovereign had revealed, he felt that a terrifying, calculating figure had orchestrated it all.

"Someone obtained the Ruthless One's inheritance," he mused, "and wanted to instantly eliminate the Divine Body, Heavenly Demon Body, Innate Dao Embryo, and others. Who could it be?"

Ye Fan thought of someone. If it were him, he would be far too sinister and terrifying—never revealing himself, yet every step he took carried killing intent, sending chills down Ye Fan's spine.

With the two pieces of astounding news from the Northern Territory, the curtain slowly fell. Supreme sect leaders, various powerful figures, Holy Sons, and others all withdrew, returning to various parts of the Eastern Wasteland.

Under the night moon, Ye Fan met Ye Huiling. Their discussion went smoothly, and he borrowed the Heaven-Covering Robe.

Under the watery moonlight, the woman from Central State was intelligent and ethereal, her skin like suet jade and her eyes nimble. She was very straightforward, stating that if Ye Fan successfully ascended a holy mountain and returned with an immortal divine medicine, she would want one fruit.

Ye Fan readily agreed. If he truly succeeded, he would certainly ascend several holy mountains, as the nine divine roots branched from a single main root.

"Miss Ye, please do me a favor," he said. "If I go and don't return, please take one person away for me, and help me look after another."

"Oh, who are they?" Ye Huiling asked, surprised.

Ye Fan pointed to Zhang Wenchang in the small tavern and said, "Take him away from here and help him escape this environment."

Then, he pointed to the inn. Through the window lattice, Little Nannan could be seen. She looked like a delicate little porcelain doll, with long eyelashes, peacefully asleep.

"Alright, no problem."

The next day, as the morning glow first appeared and dew drops rolled on green leaves, shimmering with seven colors, Ye Fan stepped into the eight-hundred-mile primeval forest, heading towards the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone.

Half a month passed. The people from the Guhua Dynasty and the Yin-Yang Sect had not left and were still in Yandu, but no one was gazing towards the Forbidden Zone anymore.

Along the way, Ye Fan did not encounter a single person, carefully avoiding areas where peerless exotic beasts might reside, and reached the edge of the Life Forbidden Zone.

The vast mountain forest was deathly silent; not a single sound could be heard. No birds or beasts were to be found, and not even ants or insects were visible. It was as if he had arrived at the end of the world.

Thud.

One of Ye Fan's feet finally stepped into the Forbidden Zone, and he immediately felt a terrifying aura assailing him.

This was... the power of Desolation!

The last time he reached the nine holy mountains, it was no more intense than this. Yet now, he was assailed like this after just one step inside, and chills ran down his entire body.

At this critical moment, the stone robe enveloped him, and the Heaven-Covering Robe covered his body, protecting him thoroughly. He strode deeper inside.

Whoosh!

The instant he entered, even though the peerless stone robe covered his body, Ye Fan still shivered. His entire cultivation was completely stripped away, not a trace remaining.

In this Life Forbidden Zone, he became a mortal, unable to fly or burrow into the earth anymore. However, unlike others, his Sea of Wheels did not dry up, his Dao Palace did not darken, and his Four Extremities were not sealed. His divine power had not disappeared; it was merely sealed within his body.

The Holy Body's physical form was extremely powerful; its golden vital energy still surged, ready to burst forth at any moment. This was the fundamental reason Ye Fan dared to enter the Forbidden Zone.

Ye Fan strode forward and, in a short while, had advanced over ten miles. He sensed something abnormal: the power of time, thread by thread, was penetrating through the stone robe.

"This is bad!"

His heart chilled, and his face changed color. This was only one-tenth of the journey, yet it was already this dangerous. No wonder the peerless emperors of Central State had died with regret.

Whoosh!

Ye Fan activated the Source Heaven Patterns; thousands of divine patterns shimmered with dazzling light, enveloping him. At the same time, the Heaven-Covering Robe emitted a brilliant divine light, covering him.

He looked up at the sky. There was no turning back now; otherwise, he would surely die within half a year. By advancing through this perilous land, though it felt like facing a bottomless abyss, he might just carve out the only path to survival.

Inside the Forbidden Zone, ancient trees, like mountains, soared into the sky, their branches like giant's hands, almost level with the mountain peaks.

Old vines, thick as water vats, snaked like true dragons, winding from the base of the mountains to their summits, ancient and powerful.

Along the way, Ye Fan saw countless spiritual medicines, all rare in the world and extremely ancient, of superb quality, but he had no time to gather them.

Every minute, every second, he was expending life force. Stopping was simply not worth it; only immortal divine medicines were useful to him now.

After advancing thirty miles, the Heaven-Covering Robe dimmed; its inherent Dao patterns were severed!

The material of this robe was unknown; tougher than divine iron, it had fallen from beyond the heavens and was refined into a treasure robe. Indestructible and capable of isolating all qi, hence its name, Heaven-Covering.

However, at present, it could not withstand the invasion of Desolation; its Dao patterns were eroded. The robe retained only its toughness, while its Dao and principles, as well as its arts and methods, were all stripped away.

Ye Fan moved with swift strides, advancing at extreme speed. Ahead lay an abyss, behind him was hell; there was no safe haven. He could only save himself and carve out a path to survival.

Pop!

The Source Heaven Patterns within the stone robe began to break and could no longer hold up. Thousands of them snapped in half in the blink of an eye and would soon disappear completely.

"Dao Scripture!"

Ye Fan circulated the Dao Scripture's core method, and nine ancient characters appeared on the stone robe, used to suppress himself, to achieve eternity, and to resist the power of time.

Truly worthy of being Innate Great Emperor patterns, they blocked the invasion. He temporarily calmed down and was not further stripped of his life force.

However, there were only nine ancient characters after all. Although he could inscribe them, he didn't even know their meaning. How could he possibly comprehend their ultimate mysteries?

After advancing sixty miles, the nine ancient characters gradually faded and were being eroded along with the Source Heaven Patterns, about to disappear.

"Only sixty miles in, and it's countless times harder than last time!"

Ye Fan's heart pounded. If this continued, he would surely die; there was no path to survival. The aura of Desolation ahead would certainly be even more intense.

He gritted his teeth and dashed forward, rushing past mountains. By the time he reached the seventieth mile, he had already aged significantly. At this point, the nine ancient characters and Source Heaven Patterns within the stone robe had completely vanished.

Now, only the empty stone robe and the Heaven-Covering Robe remained, with no more Dao and principles, or arts and methods to protect him.

Ye Fan did not panic. He took out the Qilin seed and held it in his hand, furiously sprinting while absorbing its essence, using the immortal divine medicine to extend his life and push through the final stretch.

However, this final stretch was exceptionally difficult. Even with the divine medicine extending his life, he continued to age, and even the injuries to his Great Dao were worsening.

Finally, after pushing forward for over a hundred miles, Ye Fan caught sight of the nine holy mountains, but he was also eroded to his very bones by time, and his consciousness was somewhat blurred.

He gritted his teeth and ran, finally reaching the foot of the mountain, but his strength was almost completely depleted.

At the same time, a chill ran down his spine. On that holy mountain, several figures stood side by side, gazing down at him with cold eyes. He felt cold from head to toe!