Chapter 1254: Forbidden Zone
The mountains shook, and all beasts were terrified, turning into a torrent fleeing through the mountain ranges. Flocks of birds spread their wings and flew into the distant sky. They were frightened into panic by the aura Ye Fan released, most of them collapsing directly to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
After a moment, Ye Fan calmed down. His blood energy retracted inward, his mind and body becoming ethereal as he strolled through the mountains.
"The Natural Great Dao, a wondrous scripture for establishing the Dao. Though it is not my path, it is an unparalleled inheritance..."
Ye Fan found it difficult to walk this path peacefully, but he deeply understood that it was a grand immortal treatise for establishing the Dao, with far too many aspects worth referencing.
To complete the trial and to forge his own path, he earnestly meditated on it for three days and three nights before rising and departing.
The thirty-sixth district was already devoid of people. The middle-aged Daoist nun and her group of twenty-three had been killed cleanly by Ye Fan, with no outsiders setting foot there.
The thirty-seventh district was also quiet. With the defeat of Lord Junwei and his four companions, no more contenders appeared. Ye Fan moved between the two areas, seeing no opponents.
"A fifty-thousand-year Medicine King!" The Dragon Horse bit off half of it in one go, as if gnawing on a cabbage, extremely satisfied. If anyone else had seen this, they would have been heartbroken and cursed it for being wasteful.
There were many ancient medicines on the Fallen Saint Island, but those reaching tens of thousands of years in age were rare, after all, a batch of people passed through every ten thousand years.
In the following days, Ye Fan began to cross boundaries. His figure appeared in the left five districts and the right five districts. He wore a pile of shackles, weighing millions of jin, as if forged from blood-colored divine iron, gleaming with a shocking luster.
Finally, he set his sights on the central forbidden zone and advanced together with the Dragon Horse. There, sacred beasts roared, and blood light shot into the sky.
The Fallen Saint Island had a total of fifty districts. The first forty-nine were trial grounds, while the last district was special, located at the island's center and connected to every district. The Great Commander had warned that trial participants should not approach this place unless necessary; they only needed to complete their insights in the first forty-nine districts.
Legend had it that the central area was a forbidden zone, where even ancient saints would likely fall, historically a burial ground for the strong.
Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse advanced without encountering danger until they neared this place and sensed a baleful aura.
Black clouds churned. Ahead, towering mountains pierced the heavens, as if thrusting into the cosmos. Winged dragon-like terrifying creatures could be seen flapping their wings.
That was merely a type of fierce bird, capable of tearing apart many trial participants, but it was not at the top of the food chain. "It's a killing field, yet for some powerful sacred beasts, it's a rare place to comprehend the Dao," said the Dragon Horse.
Now, with Ye Fan's combat power soaring, these things could hardly trap them. He suppressed all the laws, gradually calming the place.
Swish!
A water serpent that had cultivated into a spirit, having gnawed on the bones of ancient saints and possessing extraordinary divine abilities, attacked Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse. The Dragon Horse crushed it with a single hoof, leaving a pool of foul blood, ending its life.
"The creatures here are strange, not measured by cultivation realm. They've even eaten sacred bones and dared to attack us."
They became more cautious and continued on their way. After walking for a long time, they discovered an ancient cave at the foot of a stone mountain, with flames spewing forth, blazing and surging.
Ye Fan's expression froze. He sensed a wave of despair. He stepped inside, then quickly retreated, breaking out in a cold sweat.
The power of Dao Dissolution!
This fiery cave was left behind by a strong person who had undergone Dao Dissolution. The Dao fire had yet to be extinguished. He and the Dragon Horse had narrowly escaped falling into an irreversible disaster.
"I @#¥%..." The Dragon Horse cursed repeatedly. It had been only half a step away from being passively dissolved into the Dao. Fortunately, its cultivation was strong enough to survive this calamity.
"The central forbidden zone is full of dangers; one cannot afford to be careless."
They encountered twenty-four perils along the way, ultimately overcoming them all and reaching the deepest part. There, blood energy was like sword light, piercing the heavens and vanishing into the high sky.
Moreover, accompanied by the clanging of swords, a fierce killing intent emanated, causing souls to tremble.
"A blood lake!"
The blood energy surged into the sky, and the sword light clanged, all originating from a blood-colored lake. It was about ten li in diameter, a glaring, vivid red.
Blood clouds billowed, mist steamed, and from a great distance, one could feel the killing intent that pierced through the ages. Countless blood beams shot upward.
"A ten-zhang blood pool, burial ground of human ancestors."
Beside the blood lake stood a stone tablet, half of it eroded away by the passage of time, barely allowing the ancient divine script on it to be discerned.
"A ten-zhang blood pool, why do I see ten li?" the Dragon Horse wondered.
So many years had passed, and the world had changed. The ten-zhang blood pool had become a lake, yet the killing intent within the blood had not dissipated. This showed how terrifying the killing intent was that the enemy had driven into this strong person upon their fall.
"There's a spiritual imprint here..." Ye Fan was surprised.
"No wonder this is called the ancient trial path for the strongest. Every step is for tempering, to make later generations stronger," sighed the Dragon Horse.
This was a spiritual imprint, conveying a truth: besides enemies, oneself is the most formidable opponent.
Here, there was a blood-colored battlefield that could provide later comers with the conditions to fight themselves, allowing trial participants to better understand themselves and continuously transform.
"In this ancient battlefield, one can instantly create a duplicate of oneself. What an heaven-defying method!"
The Dragon Horse had to marvel. The creator of this ancient battlefield absolutely possessed the power to seize creation. Anyone who entered could manifest a second self.
The blood-colored battlefield was within the lake, densely covered with blood-colored cracks. Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse did not hesitate and each entered a blood-colored crack.
Boom!
Not long after Ye Fan entered, a world-shaking great battle began. The blood-colored crack sealed shut, becoming a closed world. This battle was astonishing, but unfortunately, no one could witness it.
It was not until three days later that Ye Fan emerged, covered in golden blood, having suffered nearly devastating injuries. Even with the Presence Secret, a supreme healing immortal art, it was still so brutal.
The reason was simple: he had let loose and fought himself. Any secret art he knew, that person also knew; any combat technique he had, that person was also familiar with!
This was the most brutal battle of Ye Fan's life, incomparable to any other. They were evenly matched, fighting to the point of madness.
When Ye Fan came out, the Dragon Horse was vomiting. It was covered in blood, almost reduced to a pile of mud, with white bones exposed.
"I have never hated myself as much as I do today. Why is it so hard to beat? Why can't I kill it? My true self almost got finished off in there."
The Dragon Horse cursed repeatedly, vomiting as it cursed. It seemed that in its battle with itself, it had fought to the point of insanity.
"I've found a way to improve my cultivation. From now on, the illusory self from the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities will be my mortal enemy!" Ye Fan said, dragging his exhausted, injured body.
"Don't. It's fine here, but if you really confront it like that in reality, you might get killed by yourself!" warned the Dragon Horse.
In this place, even if one's true body fell, it could ultimately be revived. That was the wonder of the blood-colored battlefield.
Unfortunately, each person only had one chance; they could not engage in a second duel.
Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse retreated, returning to the thirty-sixth district to heal. The Dragon Horse vomited for two days before slowly regaining its composure.
"Do you think there are others dueling themselves?" asked the Dragon Horse.
"That's inevitable. There must be others who went in," replied Ye Fan.
"I hope they see themselves and want to throw up!" cursed the Dragon Horse maliciously.
"Clang..."
On the twelfth day, the sound of a bell rang across the Fallen Saint Island. Time was up. All trial participants had to withdraw, or they would be sealed here.
Ye Fan changed out of his tattered battle robe, washed the bloodstains off his body in a lake, put on a new battle robe, mounted the Dragon Horse, and headed out.
At this moment, his essence, energy, and spirit had reached an astonishing state. His blood energy was like a vast ocean, his divine sense condensed like immortal light, and his entire being seemed reborn as a divine fetus.
Figures appeared at every exit. Strong individuals from various star domains emerged from the trial grounds, some heavily wounded, others radiating vitality.
"Tuoba Yu from the Human King Ancient Star Domain has come out. His demeanor is indeed confident, a true talent of his generation!"
Many saw this brocade-clad young master and felt he had undergone a baptism, gaining an indescribable aura.
"Amitabha!"
A Buddhist chant rang out. Ku Toutuo from the Amitabha Ancient Star Domain also emerged. The scar-like birthmark on his face even emitted Buddha light.
Next, Yu Xian from the Feather Transformation Ancient Star Domain appeared, sweetly smiling with a graceful figure, drawing divine light from many eyes.
The domineering Ouye Mo and the mysterious Mu Guanghan also came out one after another, without any surprises.
"Why haven't the people from the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh districts come out yet?"
"Hmm, didn't that Daoist nun go with over twenty people to kill that cultivator named Ye Fan? Could it be they didn't find him and are now blocking the exit to wait for him?"
"Very likely. With so many people attacking, even a seed-level strong person would have a hard time. One person fighting so many is almost a certain death situation."
"Lord Junwei and four powerful cultivators entered the thirty-seventh district. Why haven't they come out? Did they cross boundaries to help?"
"It's said that Lord Junwei is a seed-level strong person with divine might that shakes the world. If he helps, this can almost be called a massacre."
Everyone was waiting, looking toward the thirty-sixth district. Even people like Ku Toutuo, Ouye Mo, Yu Xian, and Mu Guanghan were paying attention.
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