Chapter 1427: Catching a Glimpse of Ji Ziyue
The bronze war chariot rumbled as it departed, continuing to spread the divine decree across the world, demanding a united effort to exterminate the invaders from beyond.
"Trouble is brewing. More people are likely to meet their end. Lucky for us we heard this here; otherwise, we'd be caught off guard," Pang Bo said. Now, if they wanted to leave, they would have to tread carefully.
"There's a great fortune here. Do we seize it or not?" The Dragon Horse paid no attention to anything else, its eyes fixed on the crystalline little puddles within this forbidden land.
This place was a battlefield of the ancient gods, born in the mythological era. Every ten thousand years, some Divine Demon Liquid would emerge—a substance that stole the very essence of heaven and earth. Even the ruler of the Divine Domain valued it for extending their lifespan.
"It hasn't matured yet, but it looks like it'll be hard to snatch. There are plenty of experts stationed here. One wrong move and we'll alert the Divine Domain. If that ruler comes after us, we'll be in deep trouble," the Nine-Tailed Crocodile Dragon said.
A mountain breeze blew, scattering fallen leaves across the forbidden land. The forests swayed, and the cracked peaks twisted like writhing snakes. Only a massive stone coffin lay there, motionless.
The Other Shore had entered autumn, colder and more desolate than anyone had imagined. A biting chill swept across the entire land.
Within a day, the divine decree shook the world. Experts from all races mobilized, hunting down the demonic outsiders, unleashing a terrifying bloodbath.
In this battle, figures like Earth Corpse, the Great Demon God, the Devouring Sky Beast, Sang Gu, the Divine Clan's Xin Lan, and the Metal-Eating Beast became renowned across the land, rising like comets on the Other Shore.
Even more, the three young masters of the Golden Serpent Clan clashed head-on with the Divine Son of the Divine Domain, stirring up a massive storm.
Blood splattered across this ancient life-bearing star as fierce battles erupted constantly. The natives had a special method of identification—everyone on the Other Shore bore a unique mark.
Because all races worshipped the gods and paid homage to the Divine Domain, they carried a divine imprint on their bodies. When they activated their techniques, it would emit a brilliant sacred radiance.
"Faith power. The ruler of the Divine Domain is collecting pure faith energy. Could they really be seeking immortality? A few strong figures in history have done this, and all were extraordinary beings!"
The Immortal Emperor and Amitabha were masters of this path. The former was worshipped by ten thousand races, while the latter established a religion with followers spread across the world, channeling vast amounts of pure faith energy to them.
"We must find out exactly what kind of existence the ruler of the Divine Domain is," Ye Fan muttered to himself.
They hid outside this forbidden land, quietly observing the formation of the Divine Demon Liquid. It was truly astonishing. The mountain ranges seemed alive, crawling like earth dragons, cracking open today to spill out precious liquid.
However, from the discussions of the guards outside, they learned that this was far from enough. A settling process was needed before the Divine Demon Liquid would truly mature.
They didn't know that this process might take years, even decades. When the time came, the god would personally come to drink it. These people were only tasked with guarding it.
Ye Fan and his group didn't know the exact timing. They cultivated outside this mountainous region, sitting on peaks, gazing out day after day, but the Divine Demon Liquid never seemed to complete its formation.
The puddles had indeed increased, sparkling and crystalline. But from what they heard, it would continue for a while longer. They probably wouldn't be able to wait.
Outside, the world had turned upside down. The great saints and young supremes from beyond the domain were no pushovers. Though most lay low, they would occasionally stir up a major commotion.
This was a storm—a great storm sweeping across the entire ancient star.
But then, an event made many young supremes' hair stand on end and the great saints' hearts tremble. A divine light shot out from the Divine Domain, terrifying and overwhelming, killing a foreign great saint, obliterating both body and soul.
No one could clearly see what kind of weapon it was. Some said it was an incarnation of the god, slaying demons and monsters to purify the Other Shore. Others said it was a quasi-emperor weapon, slaughtering all opponents—even a great saint couldn't survive, only fall.
Still others claimed it was a true great emperor weapon, revived and crossing hundreds of thousands of miles to slay the foreign great saint, as fierce and dominant as a dragon leaping or a tiger pouncing.
That day, the guards outside the forbidden land cried out in shock, pointing into the depths of the restricted zone, speechless.
They saw that all the puddles of Divine Demon Liquid were flowing toward the depths of the mountain range. Even uphill, even with ridges blocking the way, the liquid still managed to pass through.
"There's a living being in the forbidden zone, using sorcery to attract this liquid. It's coming from the direction of the nine-layered coffin from the mythological era!" these people shouted, but they had no way to stop it.
No one dared to venture deep. It was said that only the god could enter, but ever since that massive stone coffin fell from the sky, even the ruler of the Divine Domain had not set foot there.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo sensed the disturbance. They transmitted sound waves, turning them into strands of Dao energy that vibrated toward the forbidden land, but received no response. The peaks stood tall, covered in runes that could erase external forces.
"This really is a natural dam—intercepting and filtering everything. Anyone who enters is killed without mercy," Ye Fan sighed.
Could it be the Ji siblings? Someone was drawing the Divine Demon Liquid, clearly snatching food from the tiger's mouth, taking it from the god. There would be big trouble later.
"You all guard me. I need to see what's going on!" Ye Fan said. He chose a spot, soared into the nine heavens, sat cross-legged in the void, and opened his heavenly eye to gaze into the deepest mist-shrouded mountains.
"Boom!"
The myriad mountains and valleys roared in unison. When Ye Fan's eyes shot out two golden beams, breaking through the limits and entering the true forbidden zone, countless peaks began to shake, as if one sacred statue after another had come to life.
Ancient symbols appeared on the mountain bodies, then crushed down on the two light beams.
Ye Fan's eyes ached fiercely, and his heart trembled. Those were various great Daos, utterly astonishing, each possessing a supreme authority.
"The Daos of the gods!"
He understood instantly. Every peak was a burial ground for a god. In the mythological era, the most brutal battle had taken place here, and it was said that even ancient heavenly venerables had participated.
So many divine corpses piled up—what a terrifying reality that was!
One symbol represented one god or demon. With so many flashing at once, anyone who came would meet their end. Ye Fan naturally felt the immense pressure, unbearable.
A trace of golden blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, staining his robe. Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, and the others were startled and quickly stopped him, urging him not to push himself.
"Little Leaf, are you okay?"
"It's not the Daos of the gods that injured me, but my previous Dao wound. It's a bit troublesome and always affects me," Ye Fan frowned.
The Dao wound inside him wasn't severe and didn't affect his combat. But it never healed, making him cough up golden blood from time to time.
This injury wasn't a major problem, but it lingered, neither improving nor worsening, which was annoying. If this continued, wouldn't the Human Clan's Sacred Body become a sickly body? Even if it didn't affect his fighting power, coughing up golden blood now and then would make him seem frail.
"This place is more of a treasure trove than a forbidden land. The peaks stand together, each condensing into an ancient symbol—a manifestation of their Dao. If one could comprehend them all, they would understand the gods!"
Ye Fan stared at the giant coffin, then looked toward the vast, mysterious misty area behind it, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. Were the Ji siblings there?
He had Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, and the others guard him as he opened his unique Source Heaven Eye, his heart slightly excited. Could the two siblings really be about to appear?
The light shooting from his eyes grew even more brilliant, like two heavenly swords cleaving through the void, reaching the deepest parts. Gradually, he saw the scene on the other side of the stone coffin.
There, lakes were clear, mists were colorful, ancient herbs wafted fragrance, springs babbled, and ancient caves spewed out hazy rainbow light. It was like a true immortal's Dao field.
The only thing missing were birds and beasts. It was too quiet, lacking movement, which made this lush, radiant divine land seem to lack a bit of life force.
Boom!
The myriad mountains shook. The Daos of the gods reappeared. Every peak manifested an ancient symbol, erasing Ye Fan's golden gaze and sending back a terrifying, overwhelming force that made all the Daos of the universe resonate.
With a rumble, Ye Fan's body trembled violently. Blood dripped from his eyes, and his eyeballs nearly shattered. The backlash was abnormally terrifying.
But he didn't give up. He activated the Presence Secret to heal his injuries, his gaze growing even more intense. He had to find out if the Ji siblings were there.
If they were, the two might be undergoing a great fortune. If not, they were likely in grave danger!
This time, Ye Fan's entire body glowed. Not only were his eyes fearsome, but a small golden figure sat cross-legged on his Immortal Platform, chanting a true scripture, gazing into the distance.
The myriad mountains resonated. One rune after another blocked his vision, shaking his body through his gaze alone. One could imagine what kind of crisis he would face if his true body encountered it. Truly worthy of an ancient forbidden zone.
This time, he broke through the limits. His gaze reached even deeper places, where he saw a living creature. Its entire body seemed forged from gold, dazzling and brilliant, like a golden immortal phoenix. Its speed rivaled lightning, leaving a trail of radiant light.
This was a divine bird, too dazzling, incredibly beautiful. It truly seemed like a phoenix from the immortal realm descending to the world, its bright feathers tracing brilliant light.
This was what Ye Fan hastily captured. There was a living being deep in the forbidden zone, and it was incredibly powerful!
In an instant, his expression froze. He saw another familiar figure—graceful and beautiful, running joyfully, then leaping up with vitality. The young girl landed lightly on the back of the golden divine bird, soaring together, like a fairy dancing.
"Ziyue, it really seems to be her!" Ye Fan whispered.
Too far away. The figure had its back to him, black hair flying, each strand crystalline. Her entire body glowed, making her look hazy, and she flashed by. He couldn't confirm it for sure.
The main reason was that his eyes were nearly splitting, golden blood dripping drop by drop, injured by the runes of the gods, obscuring his vision.
"Little Leaf, stop trying!" Pang Bo sternly advised, afraid he would damage his origin and worsen his Dao wound.
"It's fine. I'll try one more time." Ye Fan struggled to open his heavenly eye again, but this time, the place was empty. That person and bird had charged into the deepest part of the forbidden zone.
"You're saying Ziyue can move freely in a life-forbidden land, and there's a being like a golden immortal phoenix protecting her?" Pang Bo was shocked after hearing Ye Fan's account.
The Dragon Horse, Golden Lion, Black Bear Saint, and the others were dumbfounded. This was the burial ground of the gods. Since ancient times, no one had been able to survive inside, yet she was playing there.
"Who are you people?" A loud shout came from afar.
Ye Fan's eyes had just blazed with divine light, piercing the void to gaze into the deepest part of the forbidden land. The two golden beams had alarmed a group of strong experts guarding this place.
Pang Bo, the Azure Luan, and the Black Bear Saint prepared for battle. Ye Fan, however, was fearless. That brief glimpse of Ji Ziyue had set his mind at ease. There was nothing to worry about. He was unafraid of a fight.