“I hate this…”
Huotan, unwilling to accept his fate, let out a shrill, beast-like howl, but it changed nothing — he was ultimately unable to escape death.
A cool breeze blew past; ancient trees within the restricted zone swayed, a cloud of ash rising into the air. Huotan was burned to disaster-ash by his own self-destructive sacred light, scattered and carried away by the wind.
In the distance, Ye Fan quietly watched all of this, his purple robes fluttering, his expression calm. After a long while, movement sounded behind him — Duan De and the others had arrived.
“Hahaha… a Saint has been slaughtered — this time it’s truly defying heaven!” Long Ma laughed wildly, its hooves stamping, sparks flashing, nearly wandering into the restricted zone by accident.
Ye Fan didn’t show excessive excitement. He had seen the gap between himself and a Saint — the two couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards; had this not been within the life-forbidden zone, there would have been no chance of victory at all.
“The gap is too great — being a Saint means possessing power beyond comprehension. Even luring him into the life-forbidden zone cost Ye Fan another one of his bodies,” Black Emperor said, its expression also grave.
That other body was essentially another Ye Fan, possessing flesh and blood, no different at all — he had died in battle within the restricted zone, signifying that had Ye Fan’s true body entered, he would already have perished together with Huotan!
“In the current world, to have the foundation to establish oneself, one must become a Saint — otherwise, when ancient sages from beyond the domain arrive, things will grow even more complicated, and the world will surely fall into great chaos,” Duan De said.
“Become a Saint!” An intangible pressure arose in Ye Fan’s heart. This was merely someone who had just become a Saint — how terrifying would a true Ancient Saint actually be?
And those few Great Saints standing at the very peak of this ancient planet — what kind of terrifying cultivation might they possess? Just thinking about this question for a moment sent chills from head to toe.
“Huotan left something behind,” Ye Tong said.
Ye Fan had already noticed, but it wasn’t appropriate to go in now — using One Qi Transforms into Three Purities required time, and couldn’t be continuously deployed without pause.
When the red sun set in the west, a wisp of clear energy appeared above Ye Fan’s head, and another self walked out — a flesh-and-blood body — arriving at the place where Huotan had died. Beneath a layer of disaster-ash lay several pieces of sacred bone covered in cracks, and beyond that, a jade stone the size of a palm.
After retrieving it, Duan De pursed his lips and said, “The bones are already rotten, can’t compare to a Saint King’s — not even usable for refining tools.”
Black Emperor appraised the jade stone, declaring it to be a secret treasure, made by a Great Saint’s own hand — though not a weapon, it possessed marvelous uses.
Everyone frowned, matching what they had suspected — behind Huotan there truly was a Great Saint, which was worrying.
“No matter — wear these on your person, and you should be safe,” Black Emperor said, distributing a string of pendants to each of them, carved from branches of the Enlightenment Divine Tree, containing formation patterns that could deceive heaven itself.
“This secret treasure can be placed in the Green Cauldron; once the Great Saint’s aura is worn away, this Emperor will study it,” Black Emperor said.
The group left the restricted zone. They hadn’t traveled far when they felt the mountains seem to shake, and a howling sound erupted from the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone.
“Boom!”
The Wasteland’s power surged out of the restricted zone, spreading through the great mountains; many birds and beasts instantly turned to dry bones, sending chills down everyone’s spines.
“Quick, let’s leave — something extraordinary seems to be happening in this place!”
They retreated rapidly, then rose to high altitude, revealing expressions of shock, watching from afar.
The nine sacred mountains billowed with smoke and mist, various vapors swirling about, appearing hazy and indistinct, vastly different from before.
“Several Wasteland Slaves have appeared above the abyss!”
They all opened their Heavenly Eyes, able to see for a thousand li, spotting several figures — each wearing ancient garments, each with a terrifying background.
Among them was a woman of unparalleled beauty, none other than the Tianxuan Sacred Maiden from six thousand years ago, the Eastern Wasteland’s First Beauty — yet now she had become nothing but a walking corpse, her eyes devoid of any luster.
“Not a single one among them is ordinary — all are formidable existences!” Duan De narrowed his eyes, his mood somewhat strange.
He fixed his gaze on a white-haired elder, this person dressed in ancient, worn Daoist robes, his face covered in wrinkles, hair white as snow, his eyes a leaden gray.
“Does anyone know… this is the Ancient Saint Xia Feng, who once had audience with the Azure Emperor several times, his cultivation participating in creation itself, yet now enslaved here.” Duan De said calmly.
Since ancient times, peerless experts whose lives were reaching their end would almost always make the same choice in their final years — charging into the Seven Great Life-Forbidden Zones, seeking the undying divine medicine, hoping to live out a second lifetime.
Unfortunately, no one had ever been heard to succeed!
Several figures appeared above the abyss, but only two could be recognized — each with a background greater than the last; the others’ more ancient garments made them unrecognizable, impossible to tell from which era they came.
“Clank!”
The sound of iron chains rang out. Even from such a distance, it was clearly audible — a wave of black mist surged forth, a figure standing tall in the void, only a pair of eyes visible, glowing blue-green, profound and astonishing.
The Heavenly Eye had no effect — Ye Fan and the others couldn’t see through the black mist, unable to glimpse his body; that place remained entirely mysterious.
“Rumble!”
The entire Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone trembled, the black mist surging violently, nearly spreading to the edge of the restricted zone. The sound of iron chains rang incessantly, as if right beside their ears.
“What’s going on, what’s about to happen?” The great black dog’s fur stood on end, baring its teeth, sensing waves of unease.
“He couldn’t be about to emerge, could he?” Ye Tong possessed the Solar Divine Body, yet still felt chills through her entire being, sensing a peculiar aura.
Everyone had said the path to Immortal Ascension would open in the Southern Region, and Ancient Saints had prophesied it might appear within the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone. The moment these two Ancient Sages from beyond the domain descended, they chose this very place — could it truly be coming true?
“Clank!”
The iron chains swayed, ringing incessantly, the metallic scraping sound utterly piercing, creaking loudly, as if countless metal chains had grown taut, ready to snap at any moment.
“Is he truly the Wasteland itself — could he be about to break free of his restraints, escaping the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone?” Everyone present couldn’t help gasping — if this came true, it would surely bring great calamity!
“Black Emperor, did this restricted zone already exist during the Wushi era?” Ye Fan asked.
“It should have already existed.” Black Emperor stared at the nine sacred mountains, where black mist billowed, obscuring the sun, moon, and stars.
“Did the Wushi Great Emperor ever say what kind of place this was, whether he had ever come here to fight?”
“Haven’t I already told you? This Emperor truly doesn’t know. By the time I followed the Wushi Great Emperor, he was already in his twilight years, having retired into seclusion. The great deeds he accomplished in the past — this Emperor cannot possibly know them all.” Black Emperor said.
“However…” Its eyes flickered with uncertainty, revealing a trace of strangeness, saying: “It seems… this place is very special. When the Great Emperor passed through the Southern Region during his later years, he once muttered something to himself, but I didn’t hear it clearly.”
“Try to recall carefully.” Duan De said, his eyes narrowed thin.
“He said something like ‘not to become an immortal’ — seemed to be these words. Back then when I asked, he only shook his head, saying nothing more.” Black Emperor said.
“Clank!”
The sound of the iron chains grew even louder, ringing so intensely their ears ached, various metallic cold flashes glinting within the black mist, dazzling to the extreme.
“That’s… divine metal!”
Several Wasteland Slaves all retreated, each standing on one of the nine sacred mountains, with a single figure standing directly above the abyss, pulling several divine chains taut.
Crimson radiance flashed, phoenix cries resounding through the nine heavens — this was a divine chain forged from Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold, bearing manifested Great Dao imprints, able to extend infinitely, stretching without limit, locked around this person’s body.
Purple light dazzled, purple mist billowing, a Divine Mark Purple Gold Chain trembling, extending up from the abyss, locking this person in place as he struggled violently.
Green light flickered, immortal mist spreading, like streaks of tear-trails flashing — this was a divine chain forged from Immortal Tear Green Gold, crystalline and brilliant, like the tears of immortals flowing.
…
“This is…” Upon seeing this scene, even Duan De seemed somewhat stunned. In total, four or five divine chains intertwined together, wrapped around this person’s body, trapping him within the abyss.
All of them were supreme divine metals, materials used for forging supreme-grade Emperor weapons — even an ancient Emperor couldn’t necessarily find them, yet here they were being used to bind a single person. How terrifying must this be!?
“What exactly is going on here — what level has this person actually reached, who bound him here, what is his background?”
The so-called Wasteland might actually be a prisoner, bound by someone using supreme divine metal, unable to escape this place, making it hard to understand who could possess such heaven-reaching power!
“Rumble!”
The nine sacred mountains trembled, shaking violently, that figure struggling, the Dao imprints on the supreme divine metal chains seeming about to shatter — he might break free at any moment.
The black mist churned, various divine metal radiances flickering, occasionally visible, metallic luster dazzling and awe-inspiring, yet that body remained impossible to see through, impossible to glimpse clearly.
“Why is this happening, why has he suddenly wanted to leave the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone?” Everyone’s hearts were shaken, all equally puzzled.
“Could it be that your battle with Huotan just now angered him?” Long Ma snorted, rolling its eyes.
Black Emperor and Duan De both looked over as well, all fixing their gazes on Ye Fan, looking at him as if he were the culprit, making him quite uncomfortable.
Among the Seven Great Life-Forbidden Zones, only in this place had the supreme being ever manifested — and now, perhaps, he might emerge. If this proved true, it would surely be earth-shattering!
“Let’s go, leave this place first. No wonder the two ancient sages from beyond the domain retreated — perhaps they sensed something was wrong.” Ye Fan said.
There was no need to linger here watching. Should the Wasteland truly emerge, everywhere it passed would surely become a land of withered life, turning into a dead zone — they would all meet with disaster.
The domain gate opened, and the group resolutely departed, letting the iron chains ring out behind them, echoing through the clouds, the black clouds surging for hundreds of li, no longer their concern.
“Huotan’s soul lamp has extinguished — he’s dead!” That day, news spread from Huotan’s clan — a Saint had perished!
Who had killed Huotan? These past few days he had been relentlessly pursuing Ye Fan — could it be that the human race’s Ancient Saint couldn’t stand by and watch, and had taken action against him?
“It must be a human race Ancient Saint — otherwise who could kill Huotan? Powerful as Ye Fan is, he’s still only Dao-Severing after all, impossible to defy heaven like this!”
Once the news broke, it caused an uproar, discussed everywhere, because this could very well spark great chaos, involving as it did the confrontation of Saints.
However, soon a secret rumor spread — it was Ye Fan who had killed Huotan. Someone among the Ancient Clans skilled in divination had calculated this result.
“What!”
The world was in an uproar, people stunned, unable to believe such a fact — were the Ancient Clans trying to find an excuse to move against the human race’s Sacred Body?
No one believed it — Ye Fan slaughtering a Saint? This seemed far too absurd. Even as an Emperor’s Son, even with heaven-defying methods, he shouldn’t possibly have such combat power!
“It’s true — the human race’s Sacred Body truly did kill Huotan. The instant his soul lamp shattered, it reflected the final scene, showing Ye Fan blasting apart his sacred body.”
Many among the Ancient Clans hadn’t believed it either, but after seeking confirmation from Huotan’s own clan, they obtained conclusive evidence and were all left stunned.
Once this spread, people couldn’t help but believe it — the whole world was shaken, the entire realm in an uproar.
Ye Fan slaughtered a Saint!
Truly defying heaven!
“Ye Fan has slaughtered a Saint, worthy of being recorded in cultivation history, comparable to the Ruthless One, matching the young Wushi, rivaling the Azure Emperor — with such combat power, once he becomes a Saint, who could possibly contend with him?”
The entire world was shocked — Ye Fan had returned, striking the great bell of the mortal world with his glorious feat of slaughtering a Saint, sending vast waves rolling across the world.
“Huotan finally became a Saint, yet will become a negative example recorded in history, becoming a footnote to the human race Sacred Body’s glorious battle.”
“A battle that shook cultivation history — the third of the Immortals slaughtering a Saint, one of the few such cases since ancient times, truly reversing the order of heaven and earth!”
The entire world discussed this, yet remained utterly unaware that within the Southern Region, the Ancient Wasteland Forbidden Zone was cracking, with even more terrifying events about to unfold.