Chapter 108: Heavenly Maiden of the Heavenly Maiden Sect
This woman had bright eyes and white teeth, like a lotus emerging from clear water, pure and unparalleled in beauty. She stood on the cliff edge; if she took half a step further, she would fall into the bottomless abyss. Her white robe fluttered in the wind, making her seem like a Moon Goddess about to ride the wind away, transcendent and ethereal.
Ye Fan tried to find a single flaw on her but could not. This woman was so beautiful she didn't seem real, giving a very dreamlike feeling. She embodied the spiritual wisdom of heaven and earth, shed all worldly vulgarity, with ice-like bones and jade-like skin, nearly perfect.
Among all the women he had seen, if judged solely by appearance, only one could compare with her—the perfect woman he had encountered before the Demon Emperor's tomb.
"How could a woman of such peerless grace appear in a place like this?" Ye Fan's senses warned him, and he stepped back a few paces. He possessed the Primordial Saint Body, and even his physical shell had aged, but the woman ahead showed no change at all, completely unaffected by the Ancient Forbidden Land. It was hard to imagine what her background was.
"What are you standing there for? Why aren't you picking the divine medicine?" Jiang Hanzhong shouted from below. The three men below could see Ye Fan at the mountain's peak but could not see the woman approaching the cliff.
On the cliff, an eerie, evil aura surged. The woman, as if stepping out of a painting, moved gracefully, her lotus steps light, walking toward Ye Fan.
"Not good!" Ye Fan felt the rate of his body's aging accelerate. A mysterious aura rushed toward him, and he quickly retreated down the mountain.
This woman was no ordinary being—in fact, she was terrifying. She possessed the unique power of the Ancient Forbidden Land's abyss, making even Ye Fan feel unbearable. If not for the fact that his Golden Sea of Bitterness had not dried up, with waves surging to the sky and doing everything possible to resist, he would have already aged to death and turned to ashes.
"Could she be the legendary 'Huang'?!" Ye Fan was shocked. He had long heard that there were unknown things beneath the Ancient Forbidden Abyss—whether a creature or some kind of force, it was called "Huang."
Thinking this, Ye Fan quickly retreated down the mountain, intending to leave this peerlessly beautiful woman for Jiang Hanzhong and the others to deal with. "Why did you retreat?" Jiang Hanzhong scolded. "Not good, where did this woman come from?" Ji Yunfeng's face changed drastically. He was the first to see the white-robed woman and immediately felt the rate of his life's flow accelerate.
"That is..." Xu Daoling, an elder from the Yaoguang Holy Land, seemed to have discovered something incredible. His face showed extreme shock. He staggered back several steps, his face deathly pale, filled with terror.
Seeing this, Jiang Hanzhong and Ji Yunfeng were also greatly startled. They followed him in a quick retreat, asking, "What's wrong? What is the origin of that woman?" "Unbelievable, utterly inconceivable!" Xu Daoling, the Yaoguang Holy Land elder, turned pale. "I have seen a portrait of this woman before."
Ji Yunfeng lowered his voice. "Is her portrait special? But she is indeed peerlessly beautiful; I have never seen such a beautiful woman." "That portrait is an artifact from six thousand years ago!"
Jiang Hanzhong and Ji Yunfeng gasped upon hearing this. A figure from six thousand years ago... truly shocking. Even the powerful families they belonged to seemed to have no one who had lived that long. "She is not alive!" Xu Daoling said, his face ashen. "What?!" Ji Yunfeng and Jiang Hanzhong's expressions changed instantly, and they immediately thought of something. "Six thousand years ago, she was known as the number one Holy Maiden of the Eastern Wasteland, flawless and pure. Several legendary great figures who shook the Eastern Wasteland had once pursued her."
When Xu Daoling said this, Ji Yunfeng and Jiang Hanzhong gradually guessed the identity of the woman on the mountain peak. Both spoke with trembling voices: "Six thousand years ago, that extremely prosperous immortal sect holy land was destroyed here. She was a member of that sect?" "That's right, she is the Heavenly Maiden of the Heavenly Maiden Sect from six thousand years ago!" As Xu Daoling said these words, he felt his head swell. He never expected to encounter a figure from ancient history.
In the past, the holy land destroyed here was called the Heavenly Maiden Sect, named after a star in the Big Dipper, just like the Yaoguang Holy Land. "Back then, a great figure from my Yaoguang Holy Land was deeply sorrowful over her and left behind her portrait, stored in our sect's ancient library."
Ye Fan's Life Spring had not dried up, and his spiritual perception remained sharp. He clearly heard their words, his heart filled with extreme shock. This perfect woman was the former number one Holy Maiden of the Eastern Wasteland, from that now-destroyed immortal sect holy land, a fellow disciple of the Old Madman.
The Old Madman, dazed and confused, had once gazed at the Ancient Forbidden Land for an entire night. If he were to see the former Holy Maiden's body, still undecayed and lifelike, what would he think? "She died six thousand years ago, but now she appears again. There's only one possibility: she may have become a 'Huang Slave,'" Jiang Hanzhong said.
In the distant past, several peerless figures, in their later years, ventured deep into the Ancient Forbidden Land, charging alone into the endless abyss, only to all turn into "Huang Slaves."
"Only peerless figures can become Huang Slaves. Though she died six thousand years ago, she is likely still terrifying," Ji Yunfeng said solemnly. "What do we do? Should we retreat? I feel the flame of my life could go out at any moment. She carries an extremely dense aura of 'Huang.'" "I'm afraid we can't leave anymore!" Xu Daoling was drenched in cold sweat.
That peerlessly beautiful woman, like a ghost, silently floated down, bypassed Ye Fan, and flew toward the three of them.
Ye Fan groaned inwardly, feeling that he might very well die here. Looking back, when he first appeared on the Sacred Mountain, it could be said to have been smooth sailing, without any danger, easily picking the sacred medicine. "I understand now. That day, everything was because the nine dragon corpses and the ancient bronze coffin fell from the sky here, intimidating the 'Huang' in the endless abyss, preventing the Huang Slaves from appearing."
"Fight!" At this moment, Jiang Hanzhong made his move. Holding a brocade box, his body radiated boundless light. A purple bronze mirror rushed out of his body. Its back was engraved with the Eight Trigrams diagram, and its front shone like a full moon, emitting brilliant light. A massive beam of light, as thick as a house, shot toward the Heavenly Maiden of the Heavenly Maiden Sect.
The entire peak of the Sacred Mountain shook. The beam of light seemed like a Milky Way falling from the nine heavens, making people feel an endless, terrifying pressure.
Ye Fan was horrified. Jiang Hanzhong's strength was as deep as the sea, with no end in sight. It was beyond the imagination of a cultivator at the Life Spring realm like him, utterly immeasurable. If such a terrifying beam of light struck him, it would instantly turn him to ashes. "This should be beyond the Other Shore realm, right..." He knew that besides the "Wheel Sea," the human body had other secret realms. "Chi!"
Something astonishing happened. The beam of light, which could dim the sun, moon, and stars, turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared before the Heavenly Maiden, not harming her in the slightest. "Dang!"
A metallic sound rang out. The purple bronze Eight Trigrams mirror fell to the ground. Jiang Hanzhong's face was pale, and he swayed unsteadily. His divine power source had dried up again. "Hua!"
Ji Yunfeng made his move. Holding a strange black stone, a Heavenly Net Umbrella rushed out of his body, covering the sky and blotting out the sun, surging toward the woman. A fierce wind arose, and the sun and moon lost their light. "Bang!"
The woman lightly tapped a finger. The giant umbrella, which had been covering the sky, was instantly pierced through. Its light dimmed, and it fell. Ji Yunfeng's face was pale, without a trace of color. His aged body hunched over as he staggered back and sat down on the ground. "Brother Xu, quickly use your forbidden artifact. Isn't it sealed with the divine power of the Yaoguang Holy Land's Supreme Elder? It can be used twice. It should be able to resist her," Ji Yunfeng urged anxiously.
A green leaf, the size of a palm, appeared in Xu Daoling's hand. It looked like green jade, sparkling with a crystalline luster, densely covered with Dao patterns. He held it with both hands, and immediately, endless, dazzling divine radiance appeared, turning into a sea of green light that instantly flooded the entire mountain peak, enveloping the Heavenly Maiden.
This terrifying energy was vast and boundless, as if countless stars had turned into green rays falling from the sky, making heaven and earth tremble. It lasted for a full quarter of an hour before the green light gradually dissipated. Not far away, Ye Fan gasped!
The Heavenly Maiden had not moved a single step. She stood quietly ahead, not even her white robe fluttering. She was terrifying to the point of being demonic.
The three elders' faces were deathly pale. They exchanged glances and, without a word, gripped their forbidden artifacts and struck simultaneously, unleashing their most powerful divine abilities. In an instant, the area was filled with brilliant light, energy surging to the heavens, and divine power overwhelming the sky, completely engulfing the Heavenly Maiden.
However, when their divine abilities were exhausted and the light faded, the Heavenly Maiden still stood there, completely unharmed, without any damage. "Crack!"
The forbidden artifacts in Ji Yunfeng and Xu Daoling's hands nearly shattered and could no longer be used. Their faces were gray, wrinkles piled up, and they aged by decades in an instant, their life force nearly dried up.
Jiang Hanzhong was also decrepit and worn out. The brocade box in his hand had developed nine cracks. At this moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "I can only use this."
The brocade box shattered. In his hand appeared an ancient pagoda, only a palm's height, looking dim and ordinary. But in an instant, a terrifying pressure emanated from it, many times more violent than all the previous energy fluctuations. It seemed like a world unto itself, not a small pagoda, as if it could contain all things and absorb mountains and rivers. "This is..." Xu Daoling's murky old eyes flashed with two strange lights. He said with a trembling voice: "It is said that the Jiang family has been imitating the Eastern Wasteland's supreme treasure—the Desolate Pagoda. Have you succeeded?"
"How could it possibly succeed? The Desolate Pagoda is unique, coexisting with the world, and cannot be replicated. This is merely one of several defective imitations." Jiang Hanzhong did nothing. The defective imitation of the Desolate Pagoda rose into the air on its own, rapidly expanding, and pressed down toward the Heavenly Maiden. "This..." Ji Yunfeng gasped. "Even a defective imitation is this terrifying, and it isn't suppressed in the Ancient Forbidden Land. The real Desolate Pagoda is truly unimaginable."
Jiang Hanzhong shook his head. "Unfortunately, it only has one strike's power. I hope it can temporarily suppress her and buy us some time."
The imitation Desolate Pagoda pressed down in an instant. Heaven and earth trembled. The pagoda's body was ancient and natural, with Dao rhythm flowing, condensing the "grand momentum of heaven and earth."
The Heavenly Maiden quickly retreated, not daring to face its edge. But the ancient pagoda followed her like a shadow, eventually suppressing her beneath it! With a loud "boom," the Sacred Mountain shook. The imitation Desolate Pagoda rapidly shrank, becoming the size of a palm. "Good!" Xu Daoling shouted. "The Desolate Pagoda truly lives up to its reputation. Even a defective imitation has such terrifying pressure. In this forbidden land, it can subdue enemies on its own, unbound and unrestrained."
Ye Fan's heart tightened. The foundations of these Primordial Aristocratic Clans were too deep. They had even produced defective imitations of the Desolate Pagoda, suppressing a terrifying Huang Slave like the Heavenly Maiden. It was shocking. "Quick, we need to leave this place immediately. The Desolate Pagoda only has one strike's power. It can only suppress her for a moment. Soon, it will shatter on its own," Jiang Hanzhong shouted urgently. "Truly... a defective product," Ji Yunfeng said, feeling as if cold water had been poured over his head. "What are you still standing there for? Go pick the divine medicine, then come down the mountain and meet up with us." "Damn it, you really think you've controlled me?" "You..." The three elders' expressions all changed. They hadn't expected the puppet imprint to be ineffective. "Boom!" At that moment, the imitation Desolate Pagoda suddenly shattered. The Heavenly Maiden appeared, listless and weak. "It's over!" Jiang Hanzhong laughed bitterly.
Almost instantly, his flesh dried up and then turned to ashes in the wind. Next, Ji Yunfeng and Xu Daoling also turned to dust at the same time, as if they had experienced tens of thousands of years of time.
At the same time, at the foot of the Sacred Mountain, the aged knights and the weakened savage beasts all had their flesh and blood dry up, turning into white bones.
Ye Fan's mind shook. His body aged rapidly. The golden waves in his Sea of Bitterness surged to the sky, and the divine spring gushed forth, endlessly emitting life essence, preventing him from dying. "Is the Ancient Forbidden Land going to be my burial place?" Ye Fan felt extremely weak. He rushed up the Sacred Mountain. Now, only the sacred medicine and the divine spring could save him.
Just as he reached the mountain peak, he found the Heavenly Maiden blocking his path. Her white robe fluttered, her eyes were like water, and she looked ethereal and pure, as if she were alive.
"So the Ancient Forbidden Land is this terrifying. Last time, we were merely lucky to walk out alive..." Ye Fan wanted to summon his "cauldron," but found his divine power insufficient. Finally, gritting his teeth, he barely managed to summon the Golden Book. With a flash of golden light, it slashed toward the Heavenly Maiden. "Dang!"
The Heavenly Maiden lightly flicked her finger. The Golden Book immediately fell to the ground. She was deeply attracted by the golden pages and drew them into her hand.
Then, the Heavenly Maiden silently approached Ye Fan, emitting a cold aura. She extended a delicate jade hand, reaching toward Ye Fan's Sea of Bitterness. "You..." Ye Fan retreated, but he couldn't dodge. That crystalline, flawless, soft hand instantly plunged into his body.
Ye Fan aged rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was nothing but skin and bones, almost a skeleton. But at that moment, the Heavenly Maiden let out a very painful scream. The green copper block in Ye Fan's Sea of Bitterness trembled slightly. She was struck as if by lightning. The Golden Book fell to the ground. She was sent flying backward, tumbling into the Ancient Forbidden Abyss.
"The imitation Desolate Pagoda couldn't suppress you, but my green copper block is comparable to the real Desolate Pagoda. You wanted to touch it..." Ye Fan laughed bitterly. His life force was nearly dry. His flesh was withered, and his wounds had no blood to flow. He was about to die. But he persisted, staggering forward.
In a daze, he smelled an intoxicating fragrance. Several strange small trees grew ahead. He seemed to see a spring gushing forth. Then, with a "plop," he fell into it.
Chapter two is here. The sacred medicine and divine spring are within reach. Calling for monthly votes~~~~~~