Chapter 1787: Visiting the Female Emperor
The nine sacred mountains of the Ancient Forbidden Land had long since collapsed, but even now, the area remained lush with trees. At the heart of the land lay a massive abyss, plunging straight into the depths below.
Over the past two thousand years, the world had witnessed constant upheavals. Several forbidden zones had either been razed or vanished, leaving only this final one remaining.
For so many years, no one dared set foot here, holding it in awe and reverence.
Many already knew that during the final crisis of the ancient dark turmoil, the Female Emperor within the Ancient Forbidden Land had awakened, suppressed the chaos with overwhelming force, and completely pacified it—a great deed of merit.
Ye Fan's steps were steady, but as he entered this place, his expression gradually grew dazed. This was not his first visit, and his current achievements were inseparable from this land.
Without the divine medicine here, how could he have dissolved his Sea of Suffering? How could he have repaired the scars of the Dao?
In the past, when he came here, he carried a death-defying resolve, risking life and limb, because this place drained one's lifespan—living beings could hardly tread here.
Now, returning once more, Ye Fan's vital essence flowed naturally, not a wisp leaking away. At this level, a person was no longer affected here.
"Ye Fan requests an audience with the Great Emperor!"
This voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated into the abyss and shook the Eastern Wasteland.
Everyone was in an uproar. Ye Fan had come, actually entering the most mysterious Ancient Forbidden Land. Many were shocked beyond measure.
Were the two giants finally going to meet? People naturally did not think he came to flatten the forbidden zone, because the Female Emperor was the only lord of a forbidden zone who had protected the human race and suppressed the dark turmoil.
Although this was a death ground, if you did not provoke it, there would naturally be no danger. People feared her, but deep in their hearts, they also held boundless respect.
"This... truly makes one anticipate!"
The Sacred Body Ye Fan meeting the Female Emperor stirred the world with excitement, everyone wishing they could be present in person to witness it. Unfortunately, that was only a fantasy, impossible to realize.
Years had passed, and the vegetation here remained lush, but the center of the forbidden zone had grown even more dilapidated. The abyss had exploded back then, covered in cracks that had never been repaired.
Ye Fan arrived here, did not proceed further, and instead transmitted his voice again, requesting a meeting.
Silently and soundlessly, a Desolate Slave appeared, clad in ancient garments. He was Xia Feng, an Ancient Sage, who had once repeatedly paid homage to the Green Emperor before falling into this place. Woodenly, he made a gesture to Ye Fan, inviting him into the abyss.
"Big Brother!"
Outside the Ancient Forbidden Land, Little Nannan watched with concern. She felt a strange sensation toward this place, her heart pounding wildly, afraid that something would happen to Ye Fan.
"Don't worry," Little Pine comforted, his demeanor calm and serene, holding Little Nannan's hand as they waited quietly outside the forbidden zone.
Ye Fan stepped forward, descending into the abyss, and immediately sensed a terrifying aura. The vital essence within him nearly began to leak outward.
He could not help but sigh. The center was truly bizarre, affecting even a Great Emperor-level powerhouse—mysterious and frighteningly formidable.
Having finally set foot here, his emotions were complex. In the past, he would not have dared to imagine it. Ye Fan was curious about this place, eager to know how the Female Emperor had spent so many years underground.
Below the abyss, there had once been vast ruins, but now they were all reduced to rubble. From what era did these remains date? It was hard to say.
A massive stone gate appeared ahead, quiet and deep, as if connecting to a vast Immortal Domain. A Female Emperor seemed to be waiting alone on the path to immortality.
This was a strange feeling Ye Fan had. The stillness here was unsettling, and the aura was even more astonishing, nearly capable of draining a Great Emperor's essence.
He cast a peculiar glance at Xia Feng. This old sage's state was unusual—like a puppet, yet still retaining some consciousness. It was this special aura that allowed him to endure for so long.
The stone gate rumbled open, and immortal mist surged out, revealing a bizarre world. Ye Fan's eyelids twitched. At first glance, he thought he had arrived at the Heavenly Gate at the end of the path to immortality!
A blurry Immortal Domain lay ahead, within reach, but once he truly stepped inside, it felt far away. This was manifested through supreme power.
This place was isolated from the world, with immortal Dao laws flowing, pure white immortal energy swirling, and the Immortal Domain faintly visible. A divine medicine was casually planted by the roadside—the Nine Marvelous.
Now, it had merged into one, about a meter tall, resembling both a tree and a grass. Its entire body shimmered with crystalline light, bearing nine different kinds of leaves. Though it had no fruit, it had already bloomed with flowers.
Ye Fan paused, filled with a myriad of emotions, staring at this divine medicine by the roadside, lost in thought. His current achievements were inseparable from this medicine.
The petals exuded a fragrant aroma, radiant and colorful. The entire plant was mystical, and the merged mother plant was countless times more brilliant than before, shrouded in a profound Dao meaning.
Ye Fan suddenly understood. This divine medicine had split into nine roots and then merged again—not a random act, but the Female Emperor's deduction of some great Dao!
Walking forward, his heart trembled, for he saw a massive Dragon Nest, steaming with chaotic energy, with several coffins floating and sinking within.
Chaos Dragon Nest!
Years had passed, and Ye Fan thought they had vanished from the Big Dipper. He never expected that the Female Emperor had moved it here. This further confirmed that she was truly the Ruthless Person.
For over two hundred thousand years, she had always been here, never dying.
Now, Ye Fan truly felt the Female Emperor's supremacy. Was she trying to rival the heavens and the earth? She was not a bit inferior.
She continuously rebirthed herself, burying her past selves, placing them in coffins within the Chaos Dragon Nest—how heaven-defying was that!
The Chaos Dragon Nest, regarded by the Ten Thousand Primeval Clans as a supreme divine ground on par with Purple Mountain, also known as Ancient Emperor Mountain, could only serve as her burial site.
A golden true dragon darted away, startled by Ye Fan's presence, and fled into the Dragon Nest in a flash.
Ye Fan was amused. It was the True Dragon Immortal Medicine he had almost caught back then.
The path was silent. Xia Feng moved like a ghost, never speaking a word.
After a while, they reached the deepest part. An ancient Bronze Immortal Hall appeared, standing in the midst of a fairyland, accompanied by clear springs and adorned with exotic herbs and divine flowers. The ancient hall looked magnificent.
Seeing the Bronze Immortal Hall again, Ye Fan's heart surged with emotion. Recalling the past, when he had just met Ji Ziyue and they had ventured into this hall together, it felt like yesterday, causing a pang of pain in his heart.
Back then, he was still a minor cultivator, ignorant of the world's vastness. It was a miracle he had come out alive, but the person who had ventured here with him could no longer be seen.
His heart felt bitter and pained. He stood for a moment before gathering his lost spirits and followed Xia Feng, the Ancient Sage, into the Bronze Hall.
Passing through several halls, they arrived at a vast and boundless chamber. Unlike the past, it was no longer fraught with danger at every step. A peaceful aura emanated, and everything went smoothly.
Upon arriving here, Ye Fan was greatly shaken. He saw over a dozen Desolate Slaves and recognized one of them, nearly freezing in place!
"Ziling!"
Ye Fan cried out in shock, seeing someone he had never expected to find here.
Back then, they had set sail from the other shore of the starry sky, and the Nine Dragons Coffin had brought them to this shore. Over a dozen people had crossed the starry sky. More than two thousand years had passed, and almost all the survivors had been found, except for one who had remained elusive.
In those days, they had been forced into the Ancient Forbidden Zone to gather medicine. When Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Lin Jia, Liu Yiyi, and Zhang Ziling fled, they had all stumbled into the ancient immortal palace left by the Ancient Heavenly Court, stepping into different formations and being sent to different starry skies.
The others had all been found, but Zhang Ziling remained missing.
Ye Fan had never imagined that he would reunite with him here, in such a scene.
Zhang Ziling, hearing the sincere call, turned around. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. After a long hesitation, he nodded woodenly.
"How could this be?" Ye Fan had never expected that he had fallen into the Ancient Forbidden Land and become a Desolate Slave. So many years had passed, and he remained young. Time had left no trace on him.
Ye Fan sighed inwardly. Ziling's state was peculiar. It could be said he was dead, yet he still had a trace of consciousness. Ye Fan believed that with his methods, he could reverse this, but he feared that if he revived him, the other would be instantly reduced to dust by time.
He turned to look at the center and finally saw the Female Emperor. She sat cross-legged ahead, so beautiful that she seemed unreal, ethereal and indifferent. Though she was right before his eyes, she seemed to be in the Immortal Domain.
This was the Ruthless Great Emperor!
Truly peerless elegance. She appeared so beautiful, with unmatched grace, but once she became fierce, heaven and earth would be destroyed, and no one in history could stop her.
If it were two thousand years ago, it would be hard to imagine that Ye Fan would one day meet this legendary Female Emperor at such close quarters.
A woman of legend, whose existence was uncertain, whose talent was unparalleled through the ages, sat there alive and real.
"Greetings, Great Emperor!"
Ye Fan spoke, but his heart pounded violently. Near the Female Emperor, misty haze shrouded the area, and behind her stood two women, like Dao attendants.
One was the Holy Maiden of Tianshu, whom he had seen before. The other stirred his emotions, causing waves of turmoil. It was Li Xiaoman! She was still in the world, having become a Desolate Slave.
Ye Fan opened his mouth, a bitter taste in his throat. Back then, it was he who had personally pushed Li Xiaoman into the abyss.
The Female Emperor opened her eyes, a hint of confusion in them. After a moment, they became somewhat clear. She did not speak but raised a hand, and a cushion appeared, entirely formed from Dao energy.
Ye Fan sat down, close to her, and composed his mind. Sitting opposite the Ruthless Great Emperor like this—if word got out, it would shake the ages.
"I have come to seek your guidance, Great Emperor."
"How does one achieve immortality?"
"My friends have grown old. I cannot bear to watch them wither and leave this world."
"I know that your talent, Great Emperor, is unmatched through the ages. I have come specifically to beg you to teach me."
Ye Fan spoke at length, but the Female Emperor did not respond with a single word. Her expression was calm and serene, like a fairy carved from warm jade.
After a long time, the Bronze Immortal Hall fell silent. At such close range, Ye Fan truly felt her power and unfathomable depth.
"Yes, the blood-soaked 'Immortal' character deep in the Bronze Hall was left by the Ruthless Great Emperor after a mishap during her transformation. Though her body exploded, her primordial spirit did not perish."
At this moment, Ye Fan thought of many things. Back then, the Ruthless Great Emperor's transformation had gone awry, her physical form disintegrating and piercing through the Bronze Hall. That hole should have been left by her.
Suddenly, the Female Emperor pointed at the Desolate Slaves.
Ye Fan was stunned, then suddenly understood. Was this how to make friends immortal? They would rather die than agree.
"The path to immortality, the method of eternal life—is there really none?" Ye Fan's heart darkened.
If it were possible, why would the Ruthless Great Emperor turn these people into Desolate Slaves? Only in this strange state could they endure through the ages.
Ye Fan sighed. In this world, no one could truly be immortal. Even the Ruthless Great Emperor herself had nearly failed and died during her rebirth.
"How does one avoid death? How does one achieve immortality? Are the paths to immortality across the ages all deceptions?" Ye Fan asked. He was not asking for himself but truly could not bear to see his friends pass away one by one.
"The paths walked by generation after generation in pursuit of immortality—those are the paths to immortality," the Female Emperor finally spoke, her voice like heavenly music.
But to Ye Fan's ears, it was like thunder. His body trembled, and then he felt a bone-chilling cold.
Just one chapter today. Will continue working hard tomorrow. Everyone knows the ending period involves many things; it's not as easy to write as the earlier parts.