Chapter 794: Black Turmoil Overture

**Chapter 796: Prelude to the Dark Turmoil**

After a piece of imperial jade was embedded in the head-sized groove, a soft, clear radiance flashed, cutting through the Divine Ruins and engulfing the old blind man and Duan De, who then vanished. Years ago, Ye Fan had retreated from Purple Mountain in the same way, crossing into an underground river and climbing to the surface. Purple Mountain was difficult to enter or exit; without an ultimate imperial weapon to blast it open, there was no hope. It was a natural cage.

"Roar..." All around, a terrifying scene unfolded, with fierce ghosts everywhere. Each was as dry as kindling, skin clinging to bone. There were those with dragon heads, phoenix wings, fish bodies, and some resembling gods. They snarled and clawed, their chilling screams echoing as if one were in hell. These beings were all unique and bizarre, representing the past glory of their respective races. Chosen by the Undying Heavenly Sovereign to be his subordinates, one could only imagine how terrifying they must have been in life.

Ye Fan retreated again and again. Even holding the Demon Suppressing Pot, he dared not massacre them on the spot. Fighting so many ancient corpses alone would quickly exhaust his body. He reached the most open area of Purple Mountain, where the Bell of No-Beginning hung above, covering the area. It was a forbidden zone, and all fierce ghosts stopped at its boundary. Ye Fan was fearless. If the Bell of No-Beginning were to ring for three consecutive months, it was likely that all life in Purple Mountain would cease to exist, pulverized by the bell's waves; even the Undying Heavenly Sovereign's subordinates would not survive.

"Roar..." All around, ancient divine generals roared, surrounding the area. Each was dry and black, with matted hair like tangled grass. Some were shrouded in divine halos, others had black moons above their heads, all exhibiting extraordinary auras. It was clear that if they were to revive, their power in life would eclipse mountains and rivers, darken the sun and moon, and be capable of flattening the world. For they were undefeated divine generals, all possessing immense status in the past, obeying only the Undying Heavenly Sovereign. They were ancestors of myriad ancient races.

"Damn it!" Even Ye Fan couldn't help but curse. The more he looked closely, the more terrifying he found them. Some of these beings' physical bodies were almost divine materials, with grand dao patterns flowing within. That was a manifestation of power reaching its peak, an ultimate sublimation, where dao patterns were inscribed into bones and flesh, their very bodies becoming vessels of the dao. Such beings, let alone a group of them, if even one truly revived, would be enough to cause great chaos in the world, capable of sweeping across an entire region. Ye Fan truly wondered if gods might have existed in ancient times. The Undying Heavenly Sovereign's subordinates were simply too powerful; no wonder he held such an unshakeable, supreme position in the hearts of the myriad ancient races.

"Roar..." A group of fierce ghosts roared. Black moons hung in the sky, gloomy rivers coiled around their bodies, and blood-red suns traversed the horizon. These were the phenomena accompanying them, shaking the ancient stone hall, making it hum and seemingly on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, dao patterns emerged, stabilizing it. Ye Fan clearly sensed something was wrong. These ancient beings were agitated, as if they had received orders to step inside.

"Who exactly is there? Show yourself." Swathes of dry, black corpses waved their claws, like wildly dancing weeds, their chilling screams even more terrifying, as if in the palace of hell. A cold, sinister laugh echoed, and a wave of resentment surged like a tide, finally sweeping over everything, making one shiver all over. Behind the multitude of dry, black corpses, a tall figure walked forward. The temperature in the hall plummeted, as if one had fallen into an ice cellar. Sinister and eerie, his entire body was covered in terrifying red fur, more than half a foot long, even his face. Only a pair of dark, ominous eyes were visible. His long, red sideburns made him look like the most ferocious demon, giving off a feeling of extreme viciousness and hatred, as if he intended to slaughter all living beings.

Ye Fan's scalp tingled, and an intuition rose within him. He blurted out, "You are Zhang Lin!" A red-haired whirlwind swept across the ground, accompanied by wailing sounds. The entire interior of Purple Mountain became sinister and increasingly dim. This was, in essence, the netherworld, indistinguishable from it. All the fierce ghosts roared, stepping forward together, intending to enter the forbidden zone and tear him apart alive.

Outside, recent days had been tumultuous, even describable as a storm. Divine Spirit Valley itself was vibrant with life, but the mountains outside it had been barren. Yet, overnight, they became lush and green for thousands of miles, transforming into a source of life. They had officially emerged! A majestic voice rang out, declaring that whoever brought Ye Fan's head would forever be a guest of Divine Spirit Valley. This was an attempt to make humanity kill the Saint Body themselves. At the same time, their iron-blooded side was revealed. They stated that if Ye Fan did not kneel and beg for death, they would exterminate the entire Ye clan within three months, causing blood to flow like rivers and corpses to pile up like mountains across the land.

Strong and overbearing, Divine Spirit Valley's decree shocked the world. People knew that a great turmoil was imminent and unstoppable. Divine Spirit Valley was merely one of the ancient races. There were many more terrifying races, all with Ancestor Kings overseeing them. If even one race was this powerful, daring to defy them would lead to the extermination of an entire great clan. A storm brewed across the land, an iron-blooded tempest about to rage. Everyone felt endangered, and some great clans even prepared to pledge allegiance to the ancient races. In this unprecedented terrifying era, even the Holy Lands and ancient aristocratic families fell silent. The dark turmoil was approaching, and their current concern was not prosperity but survival.

In these recent days, the Southern Barbarians had been under immense pressure, as ancient beings frequently came to probe their strength. News spread that Divine Spirit Valley intended to eliminate the Barbarians but had been hesitant to act, having learned that there was a War God within the Barbarian tribe. Many great sects were terrified. The Barbarians had shown such powerful combat strength, yet Divine Spirit Valley still intended to move against them, fully displaying their strong and overbearing nature.

"Southern Barbarians, our Divine Spirit Valley demands an explanation!" Finally, this declaration came from the Northern Region; they had initiated their attack. The ancient royal family questioned them, brimming with overwhelming dominance. This was a signal of war and annihilation, causing cultivators across the world to fall silent and many to tremble with fear. "How dare you raze the Wang Family of Beiyuan?" "Why do you harbor the Human Saint Body in the Southern Ridge?" "Are you challenging the dignity of our race?" Divine Spirit Valley's three questions were overbearing and condescending, an entirely unequal dialogue, looking down with an air of ruling the world.

As these words were uttered, the entire world was shocked. This was a sign of impending war; even the Ancient Barbarian War God in the Southern Ridge could not deter the ancient races. Instantly, the Southern Ridge was turbulent with undercurrents, the Northern Region covered in war clouds. Cultivators were alarmed, the world was restless, and the Five Regions were in disquiet. After many years, chaos was reignited. The Southern Barbarians would confront Divine Spirit Valley. In the post-Ancient Desolation era, the most violent dark turmoil was about to arrive, and its first battle was about to commence!

The Barbarian tribe was full of spirit. Facing the accusations, they didn't bother to explain themselves one by one. Their direct response was, "To hell with you! If you want war, then war it is! We're ready!" The Southern Barbarians' toughness and spirit surprised many, and ignited the passion of countless people. To dare to face an ancient royal family like this truly lived up to the reputation of their ancestors. Their words were resonant and powerful, seen by people as pure courage, truly heroic. Even if they suffered a crushing defeat in the first battle of the dark turmoil, there would be nothing shameful about it; instead, it would earn them even greater admiration.

Upon learning this, Divine Spirit Valley fell silent for a moment, then spoke again, demanding that the Barbarian Lord come to the Northern Region to provide an explanation. Everyone clearly felt that Divine Spirit Valley had softened somewhat, showing some apprehension towards the Barbarians. However, they still maintained their autocratic stance, demanding the Barbarian Lord personally explain, which was still a high-handed approach. "There's nothing to explain. Our Barbarian tribe acts with integrity and will never bow down to anyone, nor will we demean ourselves. How can the lord of one tribe be commanded by the word of another?"

"Stubborn and unyielding. Just an ancient saint about to merge with the Dao, nothing to worry about. We'll flatten them in one battle!" This was an internal voice from Divine Spirit Valley, not yet widely publicized, but the rumor had spread. It was clear to everyone that Divine Spirit Valley was preparing to embark on a distant expedition to the Southern Ridge and conquer the powerful Barbarian tribe. Soon after, Divine Spirit Valley issued an extremely strong and iron-blooded declaration, demanding that the Southern Barbarian King personally come to humble himself, bringing the bound Human Saint Body with him, or face the consequences. "If it's war, then it's war! Do you think we're afraid of you?!" This was the Barbarian tribe's straightforward response. Within the tribe, men, women, old, and young mobilized, each carrying a wolf-fang club, preparing for a life-and-death battle, fearless and united in purpose.

On this day, the roar of the Ancient King of the Northern Region shook all the mountains, causing the entire land to tremble and terrifying everyone. "Flatten the Southern Barbarians, exterminate them all completely!" This was an extremely overbearing aura, shaking the endless rivers and mountains of the Northern Region, rapidly spreading to the Five Regions. Everyone heard the news that a great war was about to begin. "Unless an Ancient Great Emperor revives, no one can save you!" Arrogant and tyrannical, with an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers—this was Divine Spirit Valley, a powerful royal family among the myriad ancient races, launching a war today. Demonic clouds rolled, battle qi soared to the sky. One ancient warship after another from Divine Spirit Valley rose into the air, about to enter a massive spatial gate to head towards the Southern Ridge. A world-shaking battle was about to erupt!

Although the Barbarian tribe was strong, it was difficult to compare them with Divine Spirit Valley. For in a life-and-death confrontation, other ancient royal families might get involved, and in that case, the outcome was predictable. People felt as if they could already see blood flowing like rivers and corpses piling up like mountains in the Southern Ridge. "Let the Barbarian tribe become history, eliminated forever in one battle!" This was the lofty and ruthless voice of Divine Spirit Valley, announcing to the world that after sweeping away the Barbarians, they would proceed to slaughter the Ye clan. This was a grand, iron-blooded operation.

However, at this very moment, a discordant voice came from the Northern Region. "Divine Spirit Valley, you bastards! I am the Human Saint Body, and I have personally come to the Northern Region to kill you! I, Ye Fan, have arrived! I will surely annihilate your entire Divine Spirit Valley clan. Now, if one of you little ones comes out, I'll kill one; if a pair comes out, I'll kill both." Everyone was in an uproar, because some had seen it: it was undoubtedly the true form of the Human Saint Body. That golden blood energy, that vigorous aura, could not be mistaken.

Divine Spirit Valley was enraged. Many masters emerged together, their roars shaking mountains and rivers, trembling the entire Northern Region. "Human Saint Body, where is the Human Great Emperor you speak of? With the Ancient Great Emperors not appearing, no one can save you, no matter who comes!"

"Clang..."

At this very moment, a bell chimed, echoing throughout the Northern Region, silencing all other sounds. It spread for countless miles, bringing an immediate calm to the world. All restlessness, all killing intent vanished. People trembled with fear, completely stunned. In the heavens and earth, only the bell's chime resonated, as if it had pierced through time and space from ancient antiquity! All of Divine Spirit Valley's warships, poised for departure, came to a halt. Every person on board froze, trembling uncontrollably, their hearts filled with immense terror.