Chapter 1425: The Backyard of the Gods
The giant ape looked very innocent, with a simple and honest expression. It scratched its head and said, "Everyone in the world knows this. What's wrong with that?"
This answer left everyone speechless. Could it be that the Mythical Era Nine-Layered Coffin and the Ancient Tree of Life were truly known to all? They all stood there dumbfounded.
"Where exactly is the Ancient Tree of Life?" the Dragon Horse pressed, eager to learn the location of this ancient tree immediately. Too many people had descended—various Great Sages and young supremes—none of whom were easy to deal with.
"It's not far from here. Go straight ahead, ten thousand li, and you'll arrive. It's in the backyard of the gods," the giant ape replied.
"The backyard of the gods? What kind of place is that?" Pang Bo asked seriously.
"It's also considered a dwelling place of the gods, part of what can be called the Immortal Domain. However, the gods generally don't descend and rarely go there." The giant ape pointed ahead, telling them that a distance of ten thousand li would get them there.
This distance meant nothing to them. Once one reached the Sage realm, they could turn a thousand miles into a single step, moving through mountains, rivers, sun, and moon in an instant.
The Immortal Domain, the backyard of the gods, a place rarely inhabited, with an Ancient Tree of Life growing there... Stringing all this together was enough to shock any outsider.
Everyone wore strange expressions. Before coming here, they had all assumed it would be extremely difficult, that the Other Shore of the Gods would be filled with danger, perhaps requiring a bloody battle with mountains of corpses.
Who would have thought that a single giant ape would reveal almost everything they wanted to know without any effort at all?
The Dragon Horse and the Golden Lion questioned it thoroughly. After learning enough, they couldn't wait to act immediately. A mere ten thousand li away, they could rush there at once.
Ye Fan showed a strange look. Opening his Heavenly Eye, he stared at the giant ape for a long time. It was indeed a creature at the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, not some living antique.
Mountains flew backward, great rivers receded. Their group tore through the void, like extreme divine rainbows streaking across the sky. In no time, they arrived ten thousand li away.
Upon reaching this place, everyone's heart trembled. This location was very mysterious. Chaotic mist surged, separating the area ahead as if it were its own world.
Clearly, this place was extraordinary. Just approaching it made their hearts pound violently. The mountains within the mist were all inscribed with Dao runes, inspiring awe.
"That giant ape wasn't lying. It's actually true! This is definitely a secret land!" The Twelve Saints, having weathered many storms over the years, could tell at a glance that this place had an extraordinary layout, condensing a rarely seen grand atmosphere through the ages.
The peaks stood like divine statues, ancient and enduring. The ridges coiled like flood dragons, stretching from east to west. The cliffs spread like golden rocs, soaring straight into the sea of clouds. The hills crouched like black tortoises, steady and profound.
"Indeed, I observed the giant ape's divine consciousness. It wasn't lying," the Dragon Horse said. Though doing so was a bit underhanded, being new to this place, caution was still necessary.
"Is this really the backyard of the gods, part of the Immortal Domain? How unbelievable. Arriving at the Other Shore of the Gods means we're about to become immortals?" Pang Bo was full of doubt.
Without a doubt, this place must have some significance. Just standing outside made one's mind sway, eager to enter and glimpse the mysteries of creation.
"Something's not right," Ye Fan said.
"What's wrong? Is this place dangerous?" the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon asked.
"I can't tell yet," Ye Fan shook his head. In truth, this place looked very much like an immortal's cave dwelling, truly extraordinary, with sacred scenery everywhere that captivated the mind.
"What's the problem?" the Azure Luan asked.
"That giant ape is suspicious. Let's go back and take a look." Ye Fan turned around and rushed back ten thousand li.
Everyone exchanged glances and followed. However, the land was vast, with towering ancient trees and dense forests. There was no trace of the giant ape.
"These are its footprints, ending here," Ye Fan said.
The hundred-zhang-tall giant ape had left huge, deep footprints on the ground, which abruptly stopped here, as if it had vanished inexplicably.
"I clearly searched its sea of consciousness. How could there still be a problem?" The Dragon Horse ground its teeth in frustration.
"Even my Source Heaven Eye almost failed. This giant ape is extraordinary!" Ye Fan's eyes shot out cold lightning as he scanned the surroundings, searching for traces.
Finally, he picked up a gleaming golden monkey hair from the grass in the distance. It wasn't very long, much shorter than the giant ape's fur, and too dazzling.
"A monkey hair? What's going on?" Pang Bo asked.
Ye Fan said solemnly, "That giant ape was transformed from a single monkey hair. It almost fooled all of us. There's a divine ape here who is proficient in the art of transformation. If not unmatched in the world, it's close."
"I feel like this is familiar," the Azure Luan said, her eyes sharp.
"Indeed, it seems we've encountered this before," the Scorpion Saint nodded seriously.
"It's him!" Pang Bo shuddered. Deep within the Life Spring of the Ancient Heavenly Venerable, there was an ancient cave dwelling containing a seated Six-Eared Macaque that had passed away. The aura was similar, suspected to be him.
"No way. That old monkey had profound cultivation, but it's been hundreds of thousands of years. How could it have survived?" the Golden Lion expressed doubt.
"I understand! It's the little one!" the Black Bear Saint gritted his teeth, filled with endless resentment.
One of his clan's ancestors, a Great Sage with heaven-reaching divine power, had encountered a supremely powerful Six-Eared Macaque moving its home in the starry sky. Just because the ancestor accidentally blocked the divine monkey's path, it was slapped into a pulp.
"At that time, there was also a little monkey sitting on that supreme powerhouse's shoulder. I think... it might have survived!" the Black Bear Saint said with an ugly expression.
Everyone was stunned. The Six-Eared Macaque had built its dwelling in the Life Spring of the Ancient Heavenly Venerable, which was shocking. Its strength was beyond doubt.
Given its power, finding Divine Source and sealing its descendant into this great era would have been no problem.
Constructing a Divine Bridge from the Ancient Heavenly Venerable's Sea of Suffering to reach the Other Shore made this place as close as a step away. If the Divine Bridge appeared, one could simply step over.
"Legend has it that the Six-Eared Macaque is one of the strongest bloodlines in the universe, capable of discerning principles and understanding all things. Especially, the Six Ears listen to all sounds in the world, can learn all techniques, are unfathomable, and no one can see through their transformations," the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon said solemnly, then fell silent, scanning the surroundings as if afraid the divine monkey might hear.
"Everyone says the Six-Eared Macaque is extinct, that the world has lost one of its most terrifying physiques. Who would have thought it still has a bloodline here at the Other Shore of the Gods?"
Everyone sensed trouble. This monkey had heaven-defying abilities. If it had its eyes on them, a fierce battle was inevitable.
To transform from a single monkey hair and almost deceive them all—such means were beyond ordinary experts.
Ye Fan's expression was calm. "It's fine. If it truly had supreme divine power, it would have attacked us already."
Despite his words, the Twelve Saints dared not relax their vigilance. This bloodline was too powerful, forcing them to be on guard. The Black Bear Saint, in particular, had a grim face—this was his clan's enemy.
Ye Fan and the others searched but found nothing. Since the Six-Eared Macaque's hair incarnation was in this world, its true body might also be here, and they might encounter it in the future.
"Damn monkey, so ruthless! It wanted to lure us in and annihilate us, body and soul," the Dragon Horse gritted its teeth.
From other creatures, they learned that those mountains and rivers were indeed related to the ancient gods, but they were by no means a backyard. Instead, they were a forbidden zone that had existed since ancient times.
Even the current gods might not be able to enter. For others, it was a one-way trip to certain death, because it was a slaughter formation set up by an ancient Great Emperor, still intact and not completely destroyed.
"Good monkey, we'll settle accounts with you later!" Pang Bo also said.
The mountains did have extraordinary features—scenery every ten steps, divine runes every five steps, seizing the wonders of creation. But with the ancient Great Emperor's slaughter formation arranged there, even gods would die upon entering.
Bypassing this ancient land, they entered the true vast world where heroes contended. They successively saw several enormous ancient cities, each guarded by an unmatched expert.
"The homeland of immortality is not called the Immortal Domain, but the Divine Domain, the dwelling place of the gods."
This was the truly accurate information they learned upon arriving in this world. The giant ape's words were mistaken but not entirely false—just replace "Immortal Domain" with "Divine Domain."
"One Human Clan Dao Protector died, and two Great Sages from other clans also perished. What's going on?!" They received shocking news.
On a magnificent city wall, a notice was posted, displaying three bloody heads. They were labeled as sinners who had attempted to blaspheme the gods, executed as a warning to others.
Only one night had passed since they descended into this world, and three Great Sages had already died. This was alarming. Ye Fan and the others all felt a chill. This world was indeed terrifying.
This was the fifth giant city they passed. The city walls were towering, as if cast from black molten iron, emitting a cold, dark metallic luster.
Three bloody heads were placed in bamboo cages, hanging on the grand gate tower, a shocking sight.
Ye Fan and the others entered the city and saw all kinds of unheard-of races. Some had bird bodies and wolf heads, some were just a ball of light without a fixed form, and some had only a massive head without arms or a body.
The races were diverse and varied. Many were even magical artifacts—a divine blade walked through the city, having grown legs and arms, its body a blade. Another ancient pagoda wobbled as it flew through the city.
The Dragon Horse almost attacked, wanting to plunder these weapons. But Ye Fan stopped him, sternly warning him not to act recklessly.
These were all races of this world, many of them cultivators of non-human forms. Sacred weapons that had gained sentience became a legitimate race here, moving freely without interference.
It was said that many had emerged from cave dwellings in famous mountains and great rivers.
"How bizarre. What kind of place is this?" the Twelve Saints muttered.
Fortunately, they also saw many humanoid creatures. Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the others weren't considered too unusual and didn't attract much attention. Some of these humanoids were humans, while others were transformed from other terrifying beings, all very powerful.
"These massive ancient cities have existed since time immemorial, said to guard the dwelling places of the gods," they discovered.
Behind the great cities, near the Divine Domain, the Human Clan Dao Protector and two alien Great Sages had been killed while exploring the Divine Domain. Their heads were hung on the city walls as a warning.
"Great Sages, killed just like that? Could it be true gods?!" These news made them feel very uneasy.
Ye Fan and the others passed through the city without making any rash moves. After extensive inquiries, they learned that the so-called Divine Domain was surrounded by eight similar great cities, guarding all directions.
They asked many creatures but still couldn't understand what the so-called gods actually were, as no one could explain clearly.
The Divine Domain was unshakable. Risking trouble, they went to inquire about the Mythical Era Nine-Layered Coffin, which again confirmed some of the giant ape's words. Most people knew about it, but it wasn't in the Immortal Domain—it was in a deadly land.
Crossing the heavens, they traversed countless millions of li, arriving at an ancient land that had existed since the age of myths and legends, at its deepest point.
"A stone coffin, lying at the deepest part of a deadly land. Is this an omen of great calamity?"
They stood in the sky, before the deadly land. Miasma filled the air, ancient trees and wolf forests stood silent, dead and still.
Among a range of giant mountains, a stone coffin stood towering, like a stone mountain lying across the land, exuding an ancient, weathered, and grand aura.
This was a coffin that had descended from beyond the domain. For decades, no one had dared to enter, because this deadly land was filled with too many terrifying legends—approaching meant certain death.
"This... is truly the ancient coffin of Emperor Void. But how has it become so huge?" Ye Fan's heart was filled with doubt and uncertainty.