Blood-red mist drifted through the air. The forest reeked with a pungent smell of blood. Between the thorny undergrowth, beneath the ancient trees, among the scattered rocks — corpse after corpse lay stretched out. Some had been pierced through, others torn apart. All of them died with their eyes open.

The vast mountain forest was utterly silent. Not a single sound. A silence like death. The old madman’s prophecy had come true. Everywhere the eye could see — bones and bodies carpeted the ground. Everyone was dead. Blood had dyed the earth red.

“Dead… all dead… it has come again…” The old madman’s eyes were vacant as he gazed up at the sky, murmuring to himself.

“You were wrong about one thing — at least the two of us are still alive.” Ye Fan’s heart still raced. Just moments ago, he had witnessed with his own eyes the spectacle of over a dozen savage beasts slaughtering cultivators. It was sheer butchery — no one had been able to resist.

In that moment, Ye Fan had thought he would die as well. Even the Elders of the Yao Guang Holy Land and the Jiang Family — powerful as they were — had been utterly helpless before those terrifying beasts. Yet what he had not expected was that the old madman simply stood there dazedly in the forest, smiling vacantly — and every single savage beast had kept far away from him.

“Waaahh…” The old madman broke into great sobs. Murky tears streamed from his cloudy old eyes. He yanked violently at his own tangled white hair.

“Try to take heart, old man. Having traversed over six thousand years of long ages — what is there left that you can’t let go of…”

The old madman wailed to the heavens, beating his chest and stamping his feet. Then, like a wandering ghost, he began to drift through the forest. From start to finish, he never once looked at Ye Fan — entirely sunken in his own world.

Ye Fan stayed close at his side, fearful that those savage beasts might descend again. The old madman was in a daze of grief, and in the end climbed to the top of a stone hill, where he gazed toward the direction of the Forbidden Desolate Land. He stood there in vacant stupor for a long while without moving at all — like a petrified statue.

In the end, he stood there the entire night. His cloudy old eyes never once blinked. It was not until the morning glow rose and the first rays of sunlight fell upon them that he came back to himself.

“The music ends and the people scatter — they are gone, scattered away. I’ll come to see you again in the days ahead…” The old madman cried out three great sobs, then smiled vacantly as he set off down the hillside.

When the rambling old man broke into long strides, Ye Fan was astonished to discover that each of his steps covered several li — a genuine feat of contracting distance. Had Ye Fan not been supporting him the entire time, holding onto one of his arms, he would have been left far behind with no trace of the old man remaining.

“Dao Inscriptions!” In that moment Ye Fan was greatly startled. Each of the old madman’s footprints was extraordinary — intertwined with streaks of mysterious lines that carried the flavor of a Dao resonance born naturally of heaven and earth.

His heart was shaken to the absolute extreme. The old madman’s level of attainment defied imagination. Every gesture, every movement, was suffused with Dao resonance. He could leave Dao Inscriptions with ease, without any effort at all — there was simply no way to estimate his realm.

Legend has it that “Dao Inscriptions” were things carved by the great masters of ancient times after they had perceived and comprehended the natural laws of heaven and earth — a transmission of their spiritual insights. The old madman can form them naturally with a casual movement. It’s too terrifying — comparable to the great masters spoken of in legend from ancient times. No wonder the savage beasts that could casually kill the Elders of holy lands avoided him like the plague upon seeing him. Ye Fan murmured in his heart, shaken beyond measure. He concentrated all his mental focus and committed the patterns on the ground to memory.

He was practically clinging to the old madman’s body, his entire attention fixed downward on each footprint. Those Dao Inscriptions all flashed and vanished — appearing for only an instant before automatically disappearing.

But every one of those patterns was the same: each footprint bore the identical mark. By the time they had moved far from the forest blanketed with bones, Ye Fan had committed every one of them fully to memory.

On the distant mountains, a good number of cultivators were gazing into the depths of the primeval mountain range, but not a single one dared enter to explore. These people were all rather cautious, having sensed that something dreadful had happened in the deep forest.

They had not followed in the day before, choosing instead to halt at the outer area. In doing so they had escaped disaster. Had they not, there would have been considerably more bones lying in that forest.

Ye Fan looked back once, a sense of unreality washing over him. Only he and the old madman had walked out alive. Anyone would find it difficult to be at peace.

The old madman gave his tattered robe sleeve a wave, and in an instant sent Ye Fan flying several meters. It was clearly his way of taking his leave.

“Old man, please wait — this junior is willing to stay by your side and listen humbly to your teachings.” Ye Fan hurried after him.

The old madman seemed somewhat lucid. He looked at Ye Fan several times with a puzzled expression and said, “Who are you?”

“I…”

“I should not exist in this world. Do you also wish to turn to yellow earth alongside me?” With that, the old madman flicked his sleeve — and vanished in an instant.

Ye Fan stood in place for a moment, then took a roundabout way out of that mountain range and walked out of the mountains.

Upon returning, Ye Fan spotted Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, and Wang Ziwen outside the mountains. They were together with senior figures from their respective sects and had not ventured into the mountains.

Not long after, when word spread, all of the world was shaken — it rippled through the Eastern Desolation.

“Near the Forbidden Desolate Land, a great demon clan power is about to emerge into the world. Innumerable terrifying savage beasts guard that place. No one who enters rashly can survive — it is more terrifying than the Demon Emperor’s Burial Mound, a true hell that harvests lives…”

This statement spread rapidly throughout the land, leaving all human cultivators across the Eastern Desolation deeply uneasy. Some pointed directly to the heart that had flown out of the Demon Emperor’s Burial Mound two years prior — claiming it had been inherited by a great figure of the demon clan, and that a new generation Demon Emperor was about to rise in the Eastern Desolation.

Half a month later, both the Yao Guang Holy Land and the Jiang Family dispatched powerful figures once more to the foot of those mountains. Word had it that one of the Yao Guang Holy Land’s Supreme Elders and a younger brother of the Jiang Family patriarch’s generation had arrived together — truly great figures had descended upon the land. That small town became once again a place where great tides converged.

Ye Fan did not leave. He remained outside the mountains, unwilling to give up. He intended to wait for things to settle down and then find another way to venture deeper.

Over the next dozen or so days, powerful figures entered the deep mountains to explore every single day — and not one ever returned. It was not until the Supreme Elder of the Yao Guang Holy Land and the great figure of the Jiang Family personally set out that people felt something might be close to resolution.

An entire day and night passed before both great figures retreated with pallid faces. An even more earth-shaking piece of news spread through the Eastern Desolation: the two great figures had strained their immortal sight to its limits and gazed out over several hundred li, witnessing a breathtaking scene — above the abyss of the Forbidden Desolate Land, a massive bronze coffin had appeared.

The powerful savage beasts seemed intent on breaking into the forbidden zone and carrying the Ancient Bronze Coffin away, temporarily sealing off the outer area.

When Ye Fan learned of this, his heart was struck with shock. Others might not know the significance of the bronze coffin, but he understood it with perfect clarity.

Didn’t it fall into the abyss? How has it appeared again…

Half a month later, more news came. The powerful savage beasts had finally made their move — but were met with utter defeat. Seven beasts had entered. Not one came out alive.

In the end, those powerful savage beasts no longer blockaded the Forbidden Desolate Land and each dispersed. The Eastern Desolation erupted in a ferment. A bronze coffin had appeared in the Forbidden Desolate Land, setting every great power’s nerves on edge. Yet not a single holy land or ancient family dared to act recklessly — the fact that those terrifying demon clan great powers had all returned in failure put them on guard.

Not until a month later did the Yao Guang Holy Land, the Jiang Family, and the Ji Family — three supreme great powers — join forces to venture once more into the depths of the life-forbidden zone.

This time again, a considerable number of cultivators came — but most had come to watch the spectacle. Very few intended to truly venture inside. Every faction was watching and waiting.

“Ye Fan, is that you…” Outside the mountains, an extraordinarily beautiful woman revealed a surprised expression. Her jade-like figure was tall and graceful, her curves exquisite — both bewitching of form and celestial of face. She had a pair of phoenix eyes that angled slightly upward at the corners, carrying an utterly unique and captivating aura, extraordinarily alluring.

“Lin Jia!” Ye Fan was also startled. He had not expected Lin Jia to spot him. In truth, he had already known that Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and Li Xiaoman were in the small town ahead. This time, with all three factions joining forces, they had been summoned again — most likely being questioned again, or perhaps expected to accompany the expedition.

Not far away, several powerful knights heard the sound and immediately drove their mounts over.

“He’s a friend of mine — please don’t misunderstand.” Lin Jia called out quickly, and those knights halted at a distance.

“They are…” Ye Fan asked.

“They’re from the Yao Guang Holy Land. Whenever Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Li Xiaoman, and I want to go out, there will always be people standing guard over us…” At this point, Lin Jia shook her head. “These are matters of the cultivation world — you wouldn’t understand even if I explained them. The cultivation world of the Eastern Desolation is in turmoil right now.” She glanced at Ye Fan. “What are you doing here? How have these past three years been for you?”

Ye Fan smiled. “I’ve been fine — everything has gone smoothly.”

“If you run into any difficulties, you can tell me. Perhaps I can help you sort them out.”

“There’s nothing troublesome at the moment. Allow me to congratulate Grandmother Lin on recovering her youth and regaining her beauty and bloom.”

“Looking to get hit, are you?” Lin Jia gave him a look, then smiled with a bewitching charm. “It seems these three years have treated you well — not what I imagined at all.” She sighed softly. “Time flies — three years in the blink of an eye. I truly miss the past.”

“Perhaps one day we can go back.”

“The chance is almost zero…” At this point Lin Jia seemed to remember something, and lowered her voice. “If you run into trouble later on, you can come find me at the Misty Clouds Grotto-Heaven. For now, leave quickly.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I have no choice but to return to the Forbidden Desolate Land. If those people find out that you’ve consumed a sacred fruit… you’ll be in trouble too. You’d better get far away from here.”

Ye Fan said nothing more. He nodded. “Take care of yourself!”

Yet trouble came regardless. Only a quarter of an hour later, Ye Fan found himself silently surrounded by over a dozen knights in the mountains. The lead elder knight gave Ye Fan a deep sense of wariness. He made no attempt to break through, for he sensed from that old man a wave of power as vast and terrifying as an ocean. Any rash action might cause it to erupt in an instant.

“I understand why you’re here. Very well — I’ll go with you.” Ye Fan was calm.

In the end, Ye Fan was escorted back to the town, though he did not see Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Li Xiaoman, Wang Ziwen, or the others. The people of the Yao Guang Holy Land had learned of his consumption of the sacred fruit and disguised him as one of the knights, intending to make use of him at the critical moment to gather the sacred medicine.

“Given your constitution, you will certainly be able to resist the power of the curse when the time comes. If you succeed in gathering the sacred medicine, the holy land will not treat you poorly…” The lead elder knight warned, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

“I understand.” Ye Fan nodded, though he laughed coldly inside. Once we enter the Forbidden Desolate Land, who ends up using whom remains to be seen.

Five days later, the Yao Guang Holy Land, the Jiang Family, and the Ji Family advanced into the deep mountains once more. From a distance, Ye Fan spotted Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Zhang Ziling, and Liu Yiyi — all six of them had been brought along.

For the moment, however, Ye Fan was mounted on a savage beast, clad in divine iron armor with his head fully concealed by a helmet, leaving only his eyes exposed. Those few could not recognize him.

This time, the journey was unobstructed by terrifying savage beasts. The three factions’ forces arrived smoothly at the boundary marker of the Forbidden Desolate Land.

Several jade carriages shimmering with divine mist hovered in the sky and advanced no further. The several great figures prepared to provide support from the outside — they dared not venture in themselves, for the Forbidden Desolate Land had its greatest effect on supremely powerful figures, and could even strip them down to ordinary mortals.

Entering the Forbidden Desolate Land again, Ye Fan’s heart stirred with excitement. Perhaps his world-shaking fate and destiny was about to arrive. At the same time, his thoughts turned to the Ancient Bronze Coffin — he could not fathom why it had left the abyss and appeared atop the sacred mountain.

“The sacred medicine must be gathered!” The several great figures projected their voices from the sky, as the jade carriages gleamed with divine mist.