The Primordial Forbidden Zone was desolate and lifeless — an ancient forbidden land for living beings, one that few had ever dared to set foot in since time immemorial.
In particular, the ancient mine at its very center was shrouded year-round in mysterious mist, and no one truly knew what lay within. It was a taboo subject, not to be spoken of.
Yet now, a golden path of the Great Dao stretched forward, unfolding across the land. Though space twisted, domains surged, and the Great Dao itself bore down upon it — none of it could stop this immortal road.
A resplendent figure stood upon it. Around him, the sun and moon revolved, stars encircled him, and four divine beasts — the True Dragon, the Vermilion Bird, and the others — served as his honor guard. In this moment, his aura soared to its absolute pinnacle.
The Accomplished Holy Physique seemed to sense the dread of the Primordial Ancient Mine on a primal level. Without an ounce of arrogance, his battle intent split the heavens as he unleashed every measure of combat power he could currently muster. The Great Dao of heaven and earth thundered in response.
The Heavenly Dao of the entire Eastern Desolation resonated with him, cascading down endless chains of divine order — all of them converging upon his single form, descending over the Primordial Ancient Mine. He seemed as though he were ascending to immortality: every pore on his body manifested a divine chain, as if he were reborn within immortal flame.
Eighty-one of each divine beast — True Dragons, Vermilion Birds, and the rest — encircled him, their radiance blazing brilliantly, filling the sky above and the earth below, drowning the entire region in their light.
The Accomplished Holy Physique stepped off the golden path and arrived before the Primordial Ancient Mine — a black cave of ore that breathed in the essence of the sun, moon, stars, and all things between heaven and earth.
Ages had passed. No one could say how many years it had been since any living creature last set foot here. This was one of the most terrifying forbidden zones in the world — a place where ten thousand clans dared not tread.
“Does the Human Emperor wish to level the ancient mine?” A cold, indifferent voice rang out from within the Primordial Ancient Mine.
The ancient mine, desolate for countless tens of thousands of years, had actually produced a voice — enough to make one’s soul shudder. If word of this spread, it would shake the entire world. This was a forbidden zone beyond imagination.
Long ago, Ye Fan and the Holy Son of Yao Guang had accidentally wandered into the Primordial Forbidden Zone, narrowly escaping with their lives. They had glimpsed this mine from afar. On that night, it had breathed in the starlight of the entire sky, plunging the heavens into darkness several times in an instant. Amid the cascade of silver radiance like a waterfall, they had seen the silhouettes of corpses clad in ancient garments drifting and sinking within.
Now, the Accomplished Holy Physique had come straight to the entrance of this ancient cave and was gazing downward into it — personally witnessing the most mysterious forbidden ground of ancient and modern times.
Finally, the Accomplished Holy Physique took a single step inside, entering the Primordial Ancient Mine. Vermilion Birds, True Dragons, Qilins, and other divine beasts encircled him, while auspicious radiances of heaven and earth cascaded down alongside him, bringing every wondrous spectacle into the depths together.
At the same time, he unfurled his own divine phenomenon — the phenomenon unique to the Accomplished Holy Physique — and entered the Primordial Ancient Mine alone.
Unfortunately, once he sank below the surface, no one could see him any longer.
Outside the Primordial Forbidden Zone, Huo Qizi stood there stunned. He hovered in the sky, straining to open his Heavenly Eye to its fullest extent — yet he could make nothing out. He only knew that the Accomplished Holy Physique had vanished.
Elsewhere, ancient kings had also gathered. The Heavenly Eyes they opened were even more formidable, capable of seeing through the mysterious mist of the Primordial Forbidden Zone from a thousand li away. In a trance-like state, they seemed to glimpse the Accomplished Holy Physique entering the ancient mine — and every single one of them felt a chill wash through their entire bodies.
“He went in… The Human Emperor entered the ancient mine that has existed since the world began!”
“Heavens — does he truly intend to battle the supreme existence within the immortal mine?!”
The Primordial Forbidden Zone suddenly darkened. Storm clouds appeared across the sky, as though some great giant had reversed the cycle of heaven and earth, throwing all the Dao principles of this place into complete chaos.
Hmmm—
The Primordial Ancient Mine shuddered, breathing in the vital essence of heaven and earth. Impossibly, a sky full of stars appeared in the heavens above — clearly it was daytime, yet because of the shift in the laws here, endless stars twinkled in the sky.
BOOM—
Countless streams of starlight gathered together into a vast expanse of white, hanging down like chaos itself, every drop disappearing into the ancient mine — similar to what Ye Fan had witnessed on that night.
The Primordial Forbidden Zone fell into darkness, with only the ancient mine remaining bright, suspended within that sea of boundless starlight — mysterious and terrifying. Every ancient king at the edge of the horizon felt their courage fail them, cold sweat breaking out all over.
They saw shifting shadows drifting amid the starlight — some were corpses, others seemed to still be alive. The ancient garments those figures wore made every onlooker’s scalp crawl.
“Is the Human Emperor fighting within the ancient mine?”
The Primordial Ancient Mine breathed in the essence of heaven and earth, with terrifying power surging and churning within. Every variety of Dao principle and law manifested, interwoven into a field of immortal light.
“Tens of thousands of years ago, there was a great battle outside the Primordial Forbidden Zone, yet no one ever entered the ancient mine itself. Now, at long last, an old wish has been fulfilled. This place is extraordinary — it has usurped the very providence of heaven and earth.”
The Accomplished Holy Physique’s voice echoed within the ancient mine. He seemed to be strolling leisurely, surveying every corner. It was a pity — no one outside could know what he had seen.
From the outside world, all that could be observed was the Primordial Ancient Mine behaving like a primordial beast that had existed since the opening of the world. Each time it breathed in, the heavens and earth would go pitch black, as if all the stars in the sky had been swallowed. Only after a long while would it exhale, and the light would return.
Meanwhile, all vital essence throughout heaven and earth was being siphoned away at once. The vital essence and Dao markings of the entire Eastern Desolation seemed to be concentrating here, making every ancestral king across the land tremble with fear.
“Even for the Human Emperor, one cannot be so provocative and disrespectful — entering the Primordial Ancient Mine like this. Is he looking for a war?!” A voice ancient and severe rang out, cold and merciless, carrying an authority that would make all living things quake.
“Let him be. There is no need to engage him in battle. He is not a living person. He will not remain in this world for much longer. To let him drag away half of one’s life force would not be worth it.” Another ancient voice emerged, as if its owner had just awoken from a deep slumber — utterly devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
The ancient mine returned to its desolation. Not a single sound remained. Every voice had died away, and it was as still and mysterious as ever — with only the Accomplished Holy Physique alone, wandering within.
He was like a solitary traveler. A single sigh escaped him, reverberating through the entire immortal mine, bathing in divine radiance, surrounded by shifting phenomena. He did not take the initiative to act.
No one knew what he had seen. He wandered alone beneath the earth for a long, long time — and only after that did he turn and, treading upon the void, make his way back out through the entrance of the mine.
Behind him, a pair of eyes opened and fixed upon his retreating figure — icy and merciless, as if every trace of the seven emotions and six desires had been extinguished, every feeling of the mortal world severed. Ancient beyond reckoning.
“Who wishes to fight me?” The Accomplished Holy Physique murmured softly, standing at the mouth of the Primordial Ancient Mine. He did not look back. He stood perfectly still, utterly motionless.
Within the immortal mine, that pair of merciless eyes grew more piercing still — severing true feelings and cutting away mortal desires, as if it had endured the reincarnations of ten thousand ages. They stared at him without blinking.
“Let him go.” Another voice said.
Outside the Primordial Forbidden Zone, every ancient clan was dumbstruck. That human whose entire body was wreathed in Dao markings had walked out of the immortal mine — and every single person watching felt their hair stand on end.
He had entered and exited the Primordial Ancient Mine. Safe and sound. Alive and returned. The ancestral kings of every ancient clan found it inconceivable — a shock that resonated from the very depths of their souls.
After the Accomplished Holy Physique emerged from the immortal mine, he seemed somewhat lost, as if something had been taken from him. He shook his head, as though a sudden realization had come to him. Finally, he looked back one last time, then turned and departed.
The Heavenly Dao thundered. The golden path of the Great Dao reappeared beneath his feet, stretching straight to the edge of the forbidden zone. He walked its length, entered the Divine City, and stood within the heavens for a long while. Then, his gaze suddenly blazed with fierce intensity — piercing through an unknowable number of ten-thousands of li, shooting into the sacred ancestral grounds of every great royal clan of the primordial age in every direction.
In this moment, every ancient clan trembled. Not a single one dared to resist. Just how immense was this power?
Standing within the Divine City yet projecting such suppressive force across all clans — it descended like the weight of heaven itself. Whether it was the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest, the Fiery Qilin Cave, or the Primordial Lake — all of them felt as though they stood before a god.
Was this a warning? Every clan felt a genuine chill to the bone.
Long ago, the ancient clans had looked down upon the human race with contempt, lording above them. Even after the grand gathering at the Jade Pool, many ancient clans had remained unreconciled — and many among them had never truly believed that the Wushi Emperor was still alive.
Now, a human being of power beyond measure stood alone above the Divine City, his Pressure Aura sweeping across every clan, making them feel as though they could not breathe. They had no choice but to believe.
This was the true aura of an Emperor of Antiquity — in an instant, it blanketed the entirety of the Northern Region. Every legend could be false, but only what one personally witnessed was real. For the first time, every primordial clan felt just how insignificant they truly were. A single being like this could sweep them all away.
“The Emperor of Antiquity is still alive — who is he?” Many ancient beings trembled.
“He went into the Primordial Forbidden Zone and came back whole. Who would risk their life to go in and ask what happened?” Alas, not a single person was willing to go. Only Huo Qizi wandered at the edge of the Primordial Forbidden Zone day after day.
“All living things coexist — each existence has its reason.” The Accomplished Holy Physique murmured softly, yet the vibration erupted like nine heavens of thunder above the great royal ancestral grounds of every clan, shocking them until cold sweat broke freely from their pores.
Everything Ye Fan, the White-Robed Divine King, and the others had done before — all the schemes and stratagems they had laid — were far less intimidating than the sheer overwhelming pressure brought by the appearance of the Accomplished Holy Physique.
BOOM—
A bolt of golden light rose from above the Divine City, piercing through the entire Eastern Desolation and shooting straight toward the Southern Region. The towering ten-thousand-zhang brilliant immortal light vanished. The Accomplished Holy Physique walked on foot — and in an instant, he was gone.
In a mere moment, he had traveled from the Northern Region all the way to the Southern Region, descending upon the earth. Every powerful expert who had learned of this through the resonance of heaven and man felt their courage and gall go cold.
“What kind of ability is this — a few steps from the Northern Region to the Southern Region? What kind of divine power must this require? No wonder the legends say that an Emperor of Antiquity could travel back and forth between the stars alone.”
Even the sages felt their hair stand on end at this moment, unable to suppress their trembling.
On this day, every ancient clan was frightened to the extreme. One could well imagine that their posture going forward would be far more humble — they would never dare look down upon the human race again. In their eyes, this was a living existence like the Primordial Emperor himself, swallowing mountains and rivers, his Pressure Aura dominating the nine heavens and ten earths.
The Accomplished Holy Physique had entered the Southern Region. Some speculated he had gone to an ancient forbidden land; others claimed he had entered the Ancient Bronze Immortal Palace. In the moment he touched the earth, all his vital energy vanished, and no one could sense him any longer.
No one knew that he had come alone to a mountain range. Across the sky, pure white flowers drifted with him all along his path — every petal spotless white, carrying with them a faint, drifting fragrance.
Deep within this mountain range, there were some earthen mounds — far shorter than the surrounding peaks. Looking closely, many of them resembled graves. But most had already been destroyed, nearly ceasing to exist — broken and desolate.
White flower petals drifted down, falling before these ruined mounds. The gaze of the Accomplished Holy Physique shifted — it seemed to carry the weight of ten million years within it. His expression grew dim, and a kind of sorrow came over him.
“I have come to see you.” He stood before a collapsed mound, murmuring to himself: “I can pluck the stars and capture the moon. I can shatter the starry sky. But I could not keep you alive. I preserved your undying countenance — yet I could not hold on to that wisp of your soul.”
He stood in silence for a long while, then walked toward the other mounds — those nearly worn away by the ages — and something like tears shimmered in his eyes. “Old friends who once fought by my side — my comrades — I have come to pay my respects.”
The world had changed beyond recognition. The burial garden he had once built with his own hands had long since collapsed and disappeared. The brothers, old friends, and beloved companions who had faced life and death alongside him all rested here.
“I have returned. We will never be apart again. I will be with all of you… forever…”
In the end, the Accomplished Holy Physique dissolved into a rain of light — scattered and drifting — sinking into the mountain range. The rain of light fell into the grave of his beloved companion, into the tombs of old friends who had once fought shoulder to shoulder with him. The light scattered into the earth, and he was gone.