Chapter 34: The Legend of the Desolate
In midair, a rainbow beam one meter wide and two meters long stood upright in the sky, radiant and crystalline, with a solid texture like a piece of transparent crystal.
Inside was a young woman of seventeen or eighteen. Her face was like jade, her figure slender, her waist delicate, and her legs straight. A light blue dress naturally fluttered around her, giving her an ethereal, transcendent aura.
Everyone was stunned. This young, beautiful woman was like a fairy, untouched by the mundane world, possessing a transcendent beauty. She was like a white lotus rolling with dewdrops, or a fresh snow lotus on a snowy mountain, giving the impression of one who did not eat mortal food.
The world was not lacking in extremely beautiful women, but it was hard to find one with such an otherworldly temperament, as if she had leaped out of the ordinary world and merged with the pure, natural realm.
This clear and moving young woman was very calm, gazing down at the crowd below. She spoke a sentence, her voice very pleasant, but everyone had to think for a moment before understanding its meaning. It was very similar to ancient Chinese, with a soft tone, requiring careful pondering to grasp.
"We are a group of stranded people. Are you a fairy? Can you save us?" A female classmate immediately began to cry. At this moment, her form was withered, her skin wrinkled, and she looked decrepit. Finally seeing a girl who seemed like an immortal, she cried out for help.
Lin Jia and Li Xiaoman also stepped forward, showing hopeful expressions. They were originally extremely beautiful and proud women, and suffering such a blow was worse than death for them. Especially seeing such a clear and moving young woman made them even more eager to restore their appearance.
In midair, specks of light gathered, as if extracting the essence of a rainbow, condensing into a beautiful piece of jade, sealing a spirit-like woman inside.
In fact, the crystal-like rainbow light was not solid; it only looked solid. The girl inside was not restrained at all. Her black hair was like a waterfall, gently fluttering; her eyes were like water, misty and hazy with a trace of fog; her snow-white skin was sparkling and translucent with a hint of luster, very ethereal and beautiful.
"Did you enter the Ancient Forbidden Land?"
Another soft and pleasant sentence. Everyone still had to think for a moment before understanding this ancient Chinese phrase.
"Yes, we escaped from there." A female classmate with an aged face cried helplessly, looking up at the sky with a pleading expression. For a woman, such a tragic event was the most severe blow. She had long lost her composure and spoke without thinking.
Upon hearing this, the girl in the rainbow light showed a ripple on her calm jade-like face, revealing a very surprised expression.
"To be able to walk out alive is truly remarkable." She said this softly. Moreover, she kept scanning Liu Yiyi, Zhang Ziling, Pang Bo, and Ye Fan. Finally, as if remembering something, she showed a very shocked expression and asked urgently, "Is this your actual age?"
"No, we are not this old. We don't know why we lost decades of youth and vitality." A male classmate answered urgently, then looked at the girl in midair with tension and hope.
But the woman did not look at him. She seemed to already know they had lost their youth and vitality. She was questioning Ye Fan and Pang Bo.
Ye Fan replied, "Originally, we were all young people in our twenties. We don't know why some aged while others became younger, returning to childhood."
"Really?" The girl in midair showed a shocked expression, staring intently at Ye Fan and Pang Bo, and asked urgently, "Did you eat a kind of red fruit? Bright red all over, sparkling and translucent..."
Ye Fan could confirm that the strange fruit they had eaten was exactly what the girl described. There was no way to deny it now, since Zhou Yi and others had also seen it. He nodded.
The girl in midair looked at Ye Fan and Pang Bo with a strange expression, as if examining treasures. Being stared at by such a fresh and refined beautiful woman made them feel a bit creeped out and uncomfortable.
"Excuse me, is there any hope for those who have aged?" Wang Ziwen could no longer remain calm in this situation. He desperately wanted to know if he could regain his youth.
"Don't despair. Although it's hard to restore your appearance, you have gained much in losing your youth. When you reach the outside world, many will compete for you." Seeing the crowd's strange expressions, the girl in midair continued, "Don't worry. Being competed for is not a bad thing; on the contrary, it is an opportunity for you."
"I... just want to restore my appearance." A female classmate sobbed. Having aged like this, she had almost lost the will to live.
"Alright, let me first take you out of this Desolate Ancient Forest." The mysterious girl lightly waved her hand, and a shower of rainbow light fell, enveloping everyone on the mountain and slowly lifting them into the air to stand beside her.
This was truly a mysterious world. In everyone's understanding, this seemed like immortal magic.
"This place is very far from any inhabited area. If you try to walk out on foot, it's almost impossible. This primeval mountain forest is full of terrifying fierce beasts. Even I have to choose a detour when I encounter them."
Pang Bo showed a curious expression and asked, "Aren't you from that Immortal Palace ahead?"
"Immortal Palace..." The girl in midair showed a puzzled expression. "What Immortal Palace is there?"
Pang Bo pointed at the high mountain ahead and said, "Aren't there many halls there? Stretching continuously, majestic, with countless palaces. You can see many cranes dancing there."
"So the legend is true..." The girl showed a strange expression.
"What legend? Can't you see it?"
"Yes, I see nothing." The girl in the colored rainbow light showed a thoughtful expression and said, "The Ancient Forbidden Land, an ancient forbidden zone, a life forbidden zone. Since ancient times, those who have mistakenly entered and come out alive all say they saw an Immortal Palace, right in front of them, but forever unreachable."
Indeed, everyone suddenly understood. Their experience confirmed what the girl said. Someone asked, "Is it just an illusory image?"
"It's not illusory. Only at specific times, with special means, can one truly approach the Immortal Palace. But such great opportunities are generally unattainable for ordinary people—visible but out of reach."
Zhou Yi was very concerned about his own situation and asked, "Those who mistakenly entered the Ancient Forbidden Land and came out alive—what was their ultimate fate?"
This girl was as clear as a snow jade tree. She glanced at him and calmly replied, "Entering a life forbidden zone, nine out of ten die. Even if you come out alive, your hair is white like frost-covered grass, and your life is nearing its end. However, their 'Sea of Suffering' is also activated. If they embark on the path of cultivation, they can achieve twice the results with half the effort."
"Can they regain their youth?"
"It's difficult, but not absolutely impossible. As cultivation deepens, vitality naturally strengthens. Reaching a certain realm might allow you to change your appearance." This girl's words gave many people hope.
"What is in the Ancient Forbidden Land? What power made us lose our youth?" Wang Ziwen couldn't help asking. This was a question puzzling many present. They hated it but were helpless.
"This question can be said to be very ancient. Since ancient times, many have asked it, but no one can truly explain it clearly." The girl led everyone in rapid flight, surrounded by specks of light, like a rainbow cutting across the sky. Soft light blocked the fierce wind, allowing them to speak without hindrance. She continued, "Legend has it that beneath the abyss of the life forbidden zone, there exists the 'Desolate,' which might be a person from ancient times or a terrifying force."
"Has no one ever explored it?" Ye Fan couldn't help asking.
"Since ancient times, countless people have explored it, but without exception, almost all were wiped out." The mysterious girl looked back at the primeval forest behind her and said, "Every inch of that land has been dyed red with blood. The bones were piled like mountains, and those who died were all experts. In the past, a certain immortal sect holy land, at the peak of its history, mobilized all its strength, gathering tens of thousands of powerful cultivators to attack, trying to open the Ancient Forbidden Land and obtain that elusive legendary thing. But tens of thousands of people all died there. That immortal sect holy land was almost erased from this world, with only three or five escaping back, and its inheritance nearly severed."
"So terrifying?!" Pang Bo clicked his tongue.
"That is a demon land soaked in endless blood. Alas, that unprecedented prosperous immortal sect holy land not only saw tens of thousands of powerful cultivators turn to ashes, but even several top experts with profound cultivation became 'Desolate Slaves' beneath the Ancient Forbidden Abyss, enslaved for eternity."
Hearing this, everyone involuntarily thought of that terrifying figure with overwhelming ferocity, dancing with a huge iron chain hundreds of zhang long—most likely the so-called "Desolate Slave."
The multicolored rainbow moved extremely fast, like wind and lightning. The endless primeval forest below quickly receded, but even so, they flew for a full hour before reaching the edge of the desolate forest.
By now, the sky had long darkened. In the distance, they saw a small town brightly lit. As soon as they approached, seven or eight rainbow beams shot up into the sky, each a different color, with a figure standing inside each beam.
"Vivi is back."
"Did you find anything around the Ancient Forbidden Land? Various nearby cave heavens and blessed lands have sent experts, as if searching for something. Did you encounter them?"
"Since our several ancestors sensed something from the Ancient Forbidden Land, those experts from the cave heavens and blessed lands naturally couldn't be unaware."
The figures in those rainbow beams were several old men, seemingly elders of the girl called Vivi.
"These people are..."
"Could they be those who mistakenly entered the Ancient Forbidden Land and came out alive?"
When they heard the girl named Vivi give a positive answer, the old men immediately burst into laughter.
"Haha... Not bad, their 'Sea of Suffering' has been activated. They are good seedlings for cultivation!"
The group quickly descended into the small town and entered a brightly lit hall.
"Why are they so young?" When they saw Ye Fan and Pang Bo, the old men showed shocked expressions, somewhat incredulous.
"Did they eat that legendary fruit? This... impossible!" An old man was very shocked. "The nine sacred mountains surround the Ancient Forbidden Abyss. Legend says each sacred mountain has a divine spring and a strange sacred fruit, totaling nine divine springs and nine sacred fruits. Obtaining one can transform one's body! But how could a few mortals get close to that place?!"