Chapter 428: Again Seeing the Five-Color Altar

Chapter 432: The Five-Colored Altar Again

The small seven-colored stone was crystal clear, almost dreamlike in its beauty, exuding an enchanting radiance that made Ye Fan's palm appear translucent.

He absorbed a surge of vibrant life essence, his pores opened, and his vitality revived. He was now able to stand, no longer as immobile as before.

This was the most fundamental life essence, pure and flawless, without a trace of impurity. The moment it entered Ye Fan's body, it became a part of him, offering an extraordinary curative effect to his nearly depleted life force.

What was Little Nannan's true origin? This small stone sparked endless speculation in him; the adorable little girl must harbor an astonishing secret.

Originally, Ye Fan's life flame was like a candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment. Now, nourished, he was temporarily free from the threat of death.

He stood up and gazed towards the sacred mountain. There was no time to lose; the Dao injury was worsening. Although the translucent small stone had revived him temporarily, it certainly wouldn't last.

With every bit of essence consumed from the small stone, his hope of ascending the sacred mountain diminished!

On the majestic sacred mountain, there was no trace of the desolate slaves. They had all vanished, seemingly returning to the ancient abyss, leaving the place desolate and lonely.

There was no sound at all. Only he existed in this world, unable to perceive any signs of life, as if he had reached the end of the world.

Ye Fan gritted his teeth and, holding the seven-colored stone, rushed up the mountain. Although he could find brief peace here, staying for too long would be akin to slow suicide.

*Whoosh!*Just as he moved a short distance from the bronze coffin, the power of the Desolation surged forth, like bone scraping and flesh piercing. The excruciating pain nearly made him cry out.

His Heaven-Covering Robe and stone clothing had long since shattered, now disintegrating into dust that drifted to the ground. This was an ultimate killing intent, the ruthless crushing of time, like a divine blade capable of severing all existence.

The small stone shimmered in his hand, exuding seven-colored radiance that enveloped him, making him appear indistinct and iridescent.

Ye Fan was astonished to discover that the small stone was resisting time and the aura of the Desolation. Although his life was still draining, it was doing so much slower than before.

"That's it..." Ye Fan instantly understood. No wonder Little Nannan was unchanged from three years ago; this small stone could resist the erosion of time.

However, no one in this world can escape death; there can be no eternal existence. The small stone was also dimming; it was only temporarily holding back the power of the Desolation.

Fear gripped Ye Fan's heart. This was his last trump card. If he couldn't reach the sacred mountain, he would truly return to dust.

He also held the shriveled Qilin seed in his hand. The seven-colored stone and the immortal medicine seed together provided him with life essence.

The sacred mountain was lush with vegetation and unusual rock formations, truly beautiful. However, Ye Fan paid it no mind. At this critical juncture of life and death, reaching the sacred mountain was his only path to survival.

The closer he got to the summit, the more intense the aura of the Desolation became, penetrating into his very bones. Even the seven-colored radiance was quickly failing to hold it back; the small stone dimmed rapidly.

The Qilin divine medicine seed, meanwhile, was also shrinking, on the verge of withering. Its vitality was being stripped away by Ye Fan, sustaining his rapidly depleting life force.

Finally, Ye Fan reached the summit!

This was the very center of the restricted zone of life. Nine sacred mountains were connected, encircling a massive, dark abyss whose depths were impossible to discern.

Looking at it sent chills down one's spine, as if it could swallow a person's soul!

The sacred mountain he had ascended was majestic, grand, and profound, yet utterly silent.

The endless abyss, seemingly connected to the Nine Netherworld, exuded a terrifying aura. The small stone completely dimmed, no longer emitting any light.

The Qilin seed wailed faintly, unable to withstand Ye Fan's continuous extraction. Its life was nearing its end, almost completely withered.

*Crack!*Ye Fan seemed to hear a cracking sound from within his body. His life essence was barely clinging on, almost completely severed. He felt utterly powerless, barely able to keep his eyes open.

The Dao injury had worsened to its extreme. Death was imminent, and there was nothing left to do.

At this point, unable to absorb life essence, even his powerful Sacred Body was about to turn to dust, vanishing forever from this world.

*Pfft!*Ye Fan gritted his teeth and spat out a wisp of golden vital blood, which burned into a golden light, creating a barrier on his skin to block the power of the Desolation. He stumbled forward. He had been to this place before; the Pool of Life was just ahead.

Suddenly, Ye Fan despaired. Standing by the edge of the pool was a cold figure, with hair as white as snow, majestic and imposing—it was still that middle-aged man!

A desolate slave, a peerless master from yesteryear, now stood in his way. How could he possibly pass?

"Desolate slaves are rare, why do I keep encountering them?" He sighed, looking up at the sky. This was a hopeless outcome.

The celestial sound of the ancient coffin had echoed not long ago, so why hadn't they returned to the abyss? Ye Fan didn't think he had misjudged; something unexpected must have happened.

Ye Fan could barely stand, but he refused to simply wait for death. He hurled out everything he had: the golden Dao Scripture, the silver Origin Heaven Book. He even thought of tearing open his Wheel Sea to extract the mysterious green copper!

*Om!*The white-haired man took a step forward, and the world itself seemed to crumble. This was the presence of a peerless master! With every movement, the very firmament trembled.

Ye Fan's body rapidly cracked, like delicate porcelain, on the verge of shattering into dust.

This earth-shattering supreme being, even after many years, was still capable of looking down upon the world, his divine might unfathomable!

The white-haired man was like a sovereign ruling the world, possessing the aura to devour mountains and rivers, and an unparalleled dominance over all directions.

"It's over!" Though Ye Fan's Sacred Body had achieved minor completion, he still couldn't bear it. His flesh was tearing apart, and even his bones began to crack.

*Clink!*A clear sound rang out. The majestic, white-haired man seized three pieces of ancient jade. A glimmer of light actually appeared in his hollow eyes, and he halted, taking no further steps.

Ye Fan had thrown out the three ancient jade pieces left by Emperor Wushi, and the white-haired man caught them, staring intently, lost in thought.

Ye Fan's hand was already reaching into his Wheel Sea, ready to destroy his Sea of Suffering and extract the green copper, not expecting the other party to stop.

*Clink!*With a soft clink, another piece of ancient jade appeared in the white-haired man's hand. It clearly fit with the other three, and he stared in daze.

Ye Fan's heart pounded. That too was an ancient jade left by Emperor Wushi. There were nine in total; he hadn't expected the white-haired man to possess one as well.

The white-haired man placed all four ancient jade pieces on the ground, his eyes becoming utterly hollow again. He glanced at Ye Fan, then without looking back, he leaped into the abyss.

This outcome surprised Ye Fan, but he had no time to ponder it. Unable to support himself any longer, he tumbled headfirst into the Pool of Life ahead.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Ye Fan awoke, completely immersed in the Pool of Life. He felt incredibly comfortable; the power of the Desolation had finally been blocked.

A faint fragrance enveloped him, and the spring pool was exceptionally clear. He drank deeply from the divine spring, nourishing his nearly parched life.

His energy slowly recovered. He had finally pulled himself back from the gates of death and regained hope for life.

In this despairing place, capable of obliterating peerless masters, there was a Pool of Life, seemingly aligning with the Great Dao's will. At the extreme of death, a glimmer of life emerged, offering a sliver of hope.

Around this spring pool grew thirteen small trees, verdant green, shimmering with emerald light as if carved from jade. Each was less than half a meter tall, with leaves shaped like human palms, resembling little multi-armed figures.

However, they bore no fruit. Ye Fan and Pang Bo had picked them years ago, and they had not yet bloomed or borne fruit again since.

He chose this sacred mountain primarily because the Nine Dragons Coffin was on its halfway point. For safety, he didn't venture to more distant peaks.

Ye Fan sensed an unusually powerful life force, surging like a tide, breathing in and out around him, leaving him utterly astonished.

Looking down, the seven-colored stone absorbed the divine spring water, regained its radiance, and became crystal clear once more.

The Qilin divine medicine seed, meanwhile, seemed to revive, absorbing sunlight and the divine spring water. Originally shriveled, it slowly became plump again.

Ye Fan was surprised. No wonder many people had said that only a divine spring could revive the incomplete humanoid divine medicine when it was cut out in the Northern Region.

He lay motionless in the Pool of Life, carefully sensing the surrounding environment. It was indeed different from the outside world, preserving different Dao laws and powers!

"God King Jiang's prediction came true!"

This was a world from the Primordial Era, possessing the aura from before the Desolate Ancient period. The laws of heaven and earth remained unchanged; everything was different from the present day.

"If I could continue cultivating in this world, I could definitely heal my Dao injury!" A ripple of excitement arose in Ye Fan's heart.

If he could cultivate his Sacred Body to the Grand Completion stage in this world, even if the laws of heaven and earth changed, he could defy them!

Ye Fan lay in the Pool of Life, his depleted lifespan slowly recovering. But he wasn't satisfied; he wanted to quickly regain his strength.

Because this was the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone, who knew what might reside beneath that endless abyss? He could be obliterated at any moment!

Ultimately, he chose to draw essence from the Qilin divine medicine seed and the seven-colored stone, letting them absorb the divine spring water.

Ancient divine medicines could live forever by merely absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Nothing in the mortal world could absorb immortal power faster than them.

With the divine spring nearby, the Qilin seed was naturally in its element, continuously converting immortal power into its own life force.

He didn't know how long it had been, but Ye Fan's vitality finally strengthened somewhat. He could stand up, and golden vital blood began to circulate.

Although there was no sign of improvement in his Dao injury, his Sacred Undying Body was slowly recovering, and his life flame would not dim in the short term.

He needed immortal medicine. The nine sacred mountains had nine divine roots, and he had already plucked two types of sacred fruit in the past. He cast his gaze into the distance.

After resting sufficiently, Ye Fan, holding the Qilin divine medicine seed and the seven-colored stone, sped away, quickly running around the sacred mountains that encircled the divine source.

As he approached the sacred mountain ahead, even from a distance, he smelled a refreshing fragrance that almost made him collapse in a drunken stupor on the mountain.

This sacred mountain was majestic and grand like heaven, resembling the ruins of a celestial court, abundant with exotic flowers and strange plants, brimming with vitality.

In the central area of the flat mountaintop, there was a two-meter square spring pool. Water gurgled forth, emitting sparkling, crystal-clear light, as if composed of gathered divine liquid.

By the edge of the spring pool grew three small trees, half a meter tall, fiery red and glittering like carved red agate. They resembled three tiny dwarfs, with branches like arms and roots slightly exposed from the ground like legs, exceptionally peculiar.

Although small, they were as vigorous as coiled dragons, filled with the aura of time, conveying a sense of ancientness and strength.

The fragrance was overwhelmingly rich. At the top of each of the three small trees hung a single pink fruit, as if carved from beautiful jade, warm and translucent, differing slightly in color from the trees themselves. The three fruits were shaped like small babies, each the size of a fist, exceptionally peculiar.

"Ginseng fruits?!"

The three small trees remained still, but the three pink fruits swayed, seemingly wanting to break free—a truly peculiar sight.

Ye Fan dared not delay. He rushed into the Pool of Life to recover his energy, then carefully picked the fruits, sealing them in jade boxes. Just their aroma alone was intoxicating.

*Rustle!*The fiery red divine trees rustled, their leaves fluttering like beautiful music, astonishing Ye Fan once again.

As the sun set, Ye Fan felt the abyss grow even more terrifying. He dared not waste time and decided to retreat to the bronze coffin for the night.

Before leaving, he couldn't resist going to the edge of the cliff and activating his Divine Eye of Heaven's Resentment to peer into the abyss.

"That's... the Five-Colored Altar!"

Ye Fan was greatly startled. In the endless abyss, he saw a broken altar suspended in mid-air, ancient and mysterious.

Although his divine eye was advanced, it was impossible for him to see the very bottom of the abyss. However, this altar was not in the deepest part; it was suspended midway, identical to the one he had seen on Mount Tai.

"So that's it..." He finally understood why the Nine Dragons Coffin had descended here.

"The Nine Dragons Coffin knows no beginning and no end. The vast starfield, the other end of the starry sky, and this place are all just waypoints. Who knows where the road ahead truly leads..." he murmured to himself.