Ye Fan was preparing to leave. He had successively ascended all nine sacred mountains and excavated a portion of each of the nine divine roots, intending to piece together a complete Immortal Medicine to save someone.
Beyond that, the nine Life Spring Pools — each capable of restoring life and mending shattered bones — were priceless rarities in this world, and he naturally had no intention of leaving them behind.
He had brought nine jade bottles with him, each capable of holding an entire mountain’s worth of contents, and had hoped to collect the Immortal Divine Spring water in great quantities. However, the ancient forbidden land had the power to reduce any treasure to an ordinary object.
All nine jade bottles had become little more than common vessels, each capable of holding only a dozen or so jin of water — not a single extra drop could be added.
Even so, Ye Fan was more than satisfied. He had already obtained the Immortal Medicine itself, and with his Dao wounds on the mend, the gains from this journey were nothing short of extraordinary. What more could he possibly ask for?
Throughout history, many aging Saint Rulers had entered the life-restricted zones in their twilight years — like moths drawn to a flame — and nearly all of them had been reduced to ashes, scarcely ever returning to the mortal world.
“It’s time to leave…”
Ye Fan stood at the edge of the ancient abyss, gazing at the five-colored altar in the darkness, lost in thought. In that moment, an impulse seized him — he wanted to shoulder the small bronze coffin and leap down into the depths. But when would he ever be able to traverse the stellar void?
After a long while, he finally turned away and made his way to the edge of one of the Life Spring Pools. He took out the Qilin Seed and examined it again and again, wondering whether or not to plant it here.
Without question, the ancient forbidden land was an ideal environment for its growth. In time, it would surely mature into a fully developed Immortal Medicine — a divine treasure unparalleled in this world.
Yet divine medicines of such primordial nature were extraordinarily sentient. Once it took root and began to sprout, it would likely flee of its own accord long before it could grow to maturity, vanishing into some desolate corner where no one could ever find it.
In the end, Ye Fan put it away again. This seed of an Immortal Medicine still had another purpose — he could not let it go now. He would cultivate it himself when the time was right.
Ye Fan descended the mountain and wandered around the massive bronze coffin for a long while, studying the nine Dragon Corpses again and again. He was sorely tempted to drag them all away — they were living vaults of divine power.
Then, all of a sudden, he burst out laughing at himself. He really was too greedy — why did he want to take everything he laid eyes on?
“Seems like spending too much time with the Black Emperor has rubbed off on me.”
Ye Fan could only laugh at himself. He had picked every last one of the sacred fruits — not even the roots and leaves had been spared. He had gathered no small amount of the divine spring water. And now here he was, setting his sights on the bronze coffin.
The great black dog had always operated on the principle of leaving nothing behind and snatching up everything in sight. Utterly shameless in its greed, it would even try to steal from people it knew — and had made more than a few attempts to snatch things from Ye Fan himself.
“That wretched dog and all its terrible habits — thanks to its influence, I’m starting to turn out just like it…” Ye Fan, without a hint of embarrassment, laid all the blame squarely on the Black Emperor’s shoulders.
He rubbed his chin, genuinely tempted to haul the small bronze coffin away. But in the end, he let out a sigh. This coffin was far too strange and wicked — there was simply no way to store it. Carrying it on his back day after day would eventually exhaust him to death; it was absurdly heavy. And sooner or later, someone would see through its mysteries, and at that point, every person in the world would be hunting him down to claim it.
Ye Fan returned the small bronze coffin to its original position, then turned and walked away without looking back. Clutching the Qilin Seed and the seven-colored pebble, he drank deeply from the divine spring water and strode forward with swift, energetic steps.
It was not long before he reached the outer edge of the ancient forbidden land and caught sight of the eight-hundred-li primeval ancient forest. He was on the verge of leaving this restricted zone behind.
He looked back one final time. This place of absolute desolation held far too many secrets — it would take becoming something akin to the ancient great emperors of old before any of them could ever truly be unraveled.
“My Dao wounds have finally healed. I’m back…” A restless feeling stirred within Ye Fan’s heart. He had arrived in the Southern Region on the brink of death; now, at last, he had broken free of that deadly impasse.
Suddenly, he sensed an immense and terrible danger. Every hair on his body stood on end.
BOOM!
A massive bolt of violet lightning plummeted from the sky — over ten zhang in diameter, piercing straight through heaven and earth. The strike was completely without warning; it sent Ye Fan hurtling hundreds of zhang through the air.
“What in blazes — are you serious?! It’s bright and clear in every direction — not a single cloud in the sky — so why is lightning striking me?!”
He was charred head to toe, his clothes reduced to ash that clung to his body. Though he himself had not sustained so much as a scratch, he was in a thoroughly sorry state — every last hair standing straight up.
BOOM!
Another bolt of violet lightning crashed down from the sky. Its radiance blazed fierce and searing, like an entire mountain ridge of violet light collapsing downward — massive and terrifying, so oppressive it became difficult to breathe.
At first, Ye Fan had assumed someone was launching a sneak attack. But he quickly realized something was off. This was unmistakably lightning from the heavens themselves — there was no way it was man-made.
“Heaven’s Tribulation!” He deduced the truth in an instant, his expression changing drastically. But why had Heaven’s Tribulation come for him out of nowhere? He felt it was profoundly, cosmically unfair.
The terrifying lightning transformed into a vast violet sea that drowned out the entire area. The horrifying shockwaves surged and crashed, making it hard to breathe. Ancient trees that had reached to the sky and boulders a hundred zhang tall were all reduced to ash.
“Why am I getting struck by lightning for absolutely no reason…” Ye Fan was utterly speechless.
BOOM!
The lightning sea raged wildly, nearly pressing all the way to the ground and enveloping him entirely. Bolt after bolt crashed down in succession. Every manner of strange beast throughout the endless mountain range was seized with terror.
“Could it be because I broke through to the second level of the Four Extremities realm?” A wave of dread washed over Ye Fan at the thought. If that was the case, then he had a long road of suffering ahead of him.
He recalled what the Black Emperor had once told him — that tens of thousands of years ago, the Limitless Great Emperor had been struck by lightning so often that he eventually grew accustomed to it. It seemed that his own future would most likely follow the same pattern.
“Grandpa loves me, Uncle adores me — so why on earth do I have to endure heaven’s wrath and lightning strikes?! Damn it all!” Ye Fan cursed.
Heaven’s Tribulation struck again and again, sending the entire endless mountain range trembling. The mountains throughout this region collapsed outright, blasted to powder by the lightning and reduced to a barren wasteland.
Just as it had been during his last breakthrough, five full waves of Heaven’s Tribulation descended — each wave consisting of nine individual strikes — reaching an apex of terror that made the mountains shudder and every beast beneath the heavens quake with fear.
This stretch of mountain terrain was utterly annihilated, a scene of utter devastation. Everything living in it was wiped out save for Ye Fan, and the lightning strikes carved out an enormous abyss in the earth.
Yet Ye Fan emerged without serious injury. This time, having been reborn and reforged within the ancient forbidden land, he endured the tribulation directly with his Indestructible Sacred Body — far less harrowing than the last time.
When everything finally grew still, he gave his physical body a gentle shake. His wounds healed in an instant. Radiant light bloomed across his entire form — pure, flawless, and immaculate, luminous as jade. His mighty sacred body had withstood the tribulation.
“If I’d stolen a Sacred Maiden or seized a supremely powerful holy weapon, I could understand getting struck by lightning. But I haven’t done anything like that yet…” Ye Fan fumed with indignation.
Fortunately, this location was still eight hundred li from the outside world. Otherwise, such an enormous commotion would have drawn crowds from far and wide — and if word got out that he had gathered all the sacred fruits, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Ye Fan changed into a fresh set of blue robes and strode into the primeval ancient forest with long, unhurried steps. When he passed a stretch of stone cliffs, he paused, his thoughts drifting to a distant past.
His classmates who had come to this world alongside him — how were they all doing now? He exhaled softly and disappeared into the mountain forest.
Far, far ahead, a hazy, dreamlike celestial palace materialized — vast in scale, its halls and pavilions stretching on and on in an unbroken expanse, as though a palace from the heavens above had descended to the mortal world below.
Ye Fan attempted to draw near, but just as in years past, the celestial palace outside the ancient forbidden land proved utterly unapproachable. He did not force the matter and went on his way.
Three months had passed since Ye Fan had left. He had no idea what had transpired during that time — and most people had probably assumed he was dead. He was eager to get out quickly.
As he neared the edge of the eight-hundred-li ancient forest, he discovered that a group of cultivators had sealed off the area. One glance told him they belonged to one of the great super sects.
Ye Fan was inwardly startled. He concealed his presence, not wishing to stir up any trouble. But things did not go as planned — someone had laid formation inscriptions throughout the forest, and his whereabouts were exposed.
“You there — come here!” A young man in the forest spoke with overbearing arrogance, standing not far off and barking at Ye Fan.
Ye Fan glanced at him, paid him no mind, and continued walking straight toward the edge of the forest. He was eager to return — he had no idea how Xiao Nannan was faring. Had she not sent out the seven-colored pebble, he would most likely have truly died in there.
“I’m talking to you — I told you to come here!” The young man flew into a fury, pointing directly at Ye Fan and shouting.
“Who are you, and what gives you the right to order me around? What purpose could you possibly have in setting up barriers here without cause?” Ye Fan fixed him with a cold stare.
The young man froze for a moment, then replied in a chilling tone: “Several supreme great sects have sealed off this area — everyone knows this. You dare to barge in anyway? You don’t know what’s good for you!”
Something shifted in Ye Fan’s mind. Was someone plotting to enter the ancient forbidden land again? A pity they were destined to come away empty-handed. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile.
“You’re on the verge of death and you’re still smiling?!” The young man laughed coldly.
“What a bold claim. This forest belongs to no one. What business is it of yours that I’m passing through?” Ye Fan said with perfect calm.
“You’ve got a death wish! Don’t you know? The Yin-Yang Sect, together with three of the Eastern Wastelands’ great holy lands, are joining forces here to carve a supreme formation inscription and open a domain gate — to transport people to the nine sacred mountains to harvest the divine medicines. Anyone who dares trespass will be killed without mercy!”
Ye Fan was momentarily taken aback. Three months had passed, and the Yin-Yang Sect still had not given up — and now three holy lands from the Eastern Wasteland had thrown their weight in as well. Yan City must be utterly turbulent right now.
“Die!” The young man raised his hand and launched dozens of source energy attacks, intending to activate the formation inscriptions and refine Ye Fan alive.
Swish!
Ye Fan executed the Great Void Technique, traversing space itself. In an instant he was right beside the young man, pressed a hand down lightly, and with a soft thud, ended his life.
“What happened?” An elder arrived with seven young cultivators in tow, stepping into the forest.
“Who are you?” someone demanded.
The elder was clearly a powerhouse of the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. His expression darkened. He advanced on Ye Fan in broad, heavy strides, flipping his hand to deliver a downward strike — intending to subdue him.
Ye Fan immediately broke into a smile. Someone actually dared to engage him in close combat — truly a case of a long life grown weary of itself.
Thud!
He thrust out a golden great hand to meet the blow. Crushing everything in its path like withered branches and rotted wood, it shattered the elder’s arm bone by bone, and then reduced his entire physical body to powder.
This elder was no small matter in terms of strength — yet he had been overconfident, chosen not to deploy his spiritual power, and paid for it with his life on the spot.
“Who are you?!” The remaining cultivators all went pale. An elder of the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm had been slapped to death with a single palm — this was too terrifying. Every one of them was gripped with dread, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
“That surging, torrent-like golden blood energy… a physical body comparable to a true dragon… he’s — that Sacred Body!”
“What?! He’s still alive?! Wasn’t it being said that he died three months ago?!”
These people had a sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong. They spun around and ran. The Sacred Body was alive, appearing near the ancient forbidden land — this was deeply suggestive, and the more one thought about it, the more alarming it became.
Bang!
But there was no escape. With a press of his great hand through the void, Ye Fan sealed off every path. Before these people had taken even a dozen steps, every last one of them was reduced to a spray of blood mist.
“Yan City, swept up in storm and turmoil — the holy lands and the supreme great sects from the Central Province… What a pity. You are all destined to toil in vain.” Ye Fan laughed softly.
Swish!
He flickered and vanished, disappearing into the dense forest. Not long after, he entered Yan City.
The moment Ye Fan returned to Yan City, he was inundated with news. Many people were engaged in discussion.
Beyond the Yin-Yang Sect and the three great holy lands, the Ancient Hua Imperial Dynasty had not departed either — and other great sects were also preparing to make their move, scheming to harvest the Immortal Medicine.
Young kings from the Central Province and the peerless talents of the Eastern Wasteland were clashing in relentless succession, battle after battle, and even many elder figures had been stirred from their rest — making this the focal point of the entire world.
“His life force is nearly exhausted. He will die soon. Knowing his temperament, he should have come back to take a look…” In Zhang Wenchang’s small tavern, Ji Hui hobbled in, leaning on her dragon-headed walking staff. She cast a disdainful glance at Zhang Wenchang, the corner of her lips curled in a cold, detached smile.
“That tenacious old hag!” Ye Fan had barely returned when he caught sight of the old woman — and the killing intent that rose within him was boundless.