# Chapter 223: Blood Splatters the Primordial Forbidden Zone
Source City was small and dilapidated, more like an oversized town than a proper city. No one could remember when it was built. The reddish-brown city walls were covered in the marks of time's passage, with many cracks appearing.
Ye Fan walked through the city, feeling the ancient sedimentation of years gone by. The stone slabs on the streets had been worn concave from countless footsteps. Those coming and going were all cultivators.
"Young master, first time in Source City? Looking to purchase Source stones? Come into our Stone Pavilion and take a look—I guarantee you'll find remarkable stones to your liking."
"Little Daoist, do you need quality materials transported from the edge of the Primordial Ancient Mine? Genuine goods at fair prices. Won't you come in and have a look?"
Many shops lined both sides of the street, dealing in various Source stones, enthusiastically greeting the passing cultivators.
Ye Fan did not dare underestimate these people. Though the shops were small, they all had deep backgrounds, intricately connected to the various Holy Lands.
He walked into a stone shop and chatted casually with the owner. The prices of stone materials here were absurdly expensive.
The shop was small, just a single room facing the street. Inside was only a rosewood shelf displaying a dozen or so stone blocks.
Ye Fan clicked his tongue. These stones were ten times the price of Source of equal weight.
"This is way too expensive!"
"These are not ordinary stones. They are precious materials destined for the Holy City, imbued with the immortal aura of the Primordial Forbidden Zone," the owner explained.
At such prices, the gamble was no longer about Source, but about the even more precious things sealed within the stones. After studying the Source Heaven Scroll, Ye Fan's eyesight was extraordinary. He selected only one piece and stopped.
Gambling on stones here was not worth the loss. Things more precious than Source were rare encounters—how could they be casually spotted? He had only made a purchase to build rapport with the owner.
"Elder brother, do you have any connections? I want to go see the Primordial Ancient Mine." He wanted to visit the Primordial Ancient Mine but had run into trouble.
The mining areas outside the Primordial Ancient Mine had all been divided among the Holy Lands. Other places were manageable, but near the Forbidden Zone of Life, outsiders could hardly pass through.
Ye Fan was not a Holy Land successor. Without other means, as a mere wandering cultivator, he simply could not get through those regions.
"Little brother, that place absolutely cannot be visited. Even the various Saint Lords can't stir up a ripple once they enter," the stone shop owner advised.
Ye Fan smiled. "I'm not going to seek death. I just want to observe from afar. I've long heard of the Primordial Forbidden Zone's fame but never seen it—truly a regret."
The owner laughed. "I completely understand. Young people like you often come wanting to observe from afar, but in the end, they can never control themselves. As if summoned by a demon lord, they walk deep into the forbidden zone. Many people go missing every year."
"So there is a way to reach the Primordial Forbidden Zone?" Ye Fan's eyes lit up.
"Little Daoist, I advise you not to take the risk. Curiosity really can kill," the stone shop owner kindly counseled.
"Please help me, elder brother. I know the stakes." Ye Fan was determined to go.
"Very well. Go find a man called Old Knife Handle, but the price won't be cheap—he's quite the swindler." The owner provided Ye Fan with this information.
Afterward, he wandered around the stone city for a while and learned who this Old Knife Handle was.
He was a local underworld figure—not among mortals, but a tough character among cultivators. He had extensive connections in this region, handling all kinds of business, from escorting Source stones to even assassinations.
Old Knife Handle lived in the southern district, in just five low green-tiled houses that looked dilapidated.
He had none of the bearing of an underworld boss. He looked like an honest old farmer, his face full of wrinkles, his hands covered in rough calluses. He squatted on the ground, puffing on a tobacco pipe, his cultivation level impossible to discern.
"How strange. Every year people go to die..." Old Knife Handle muttered in a barely audible voice, then looked up at Ye Fan. "Wait a few days. We'll go when we've gathered enough people."
"Old sir, are these the jobs you take?" Ye Fan noticed many notices posted on one wall.
"I'm an honest man. I don't kill people. These are commission letters. I'm just a middleman. Those who want to take jobs come to me to accept tasks." Old Knife Handle puffed on his pipe. "If you want to take a job, I can arrange it for you. As for the reward, I take a twenty percent cut."
Ye Fan casually browsed and his eyebrows jumped. Some of these tasks involved him.
He picked up a golden paper slip with his likeness clearly drawn on it. Simply providing information would earn a hundred jin of Source. Killing him would earn five hundred jin. Capturing him alive would earn a thousand jin.
What a steep price—sparing no expense to drag him out.
The employer had not hidden their identity. Clearly written was one large character: Ji.
Damn it all!
Though Ye Fan had mentally prepared himself, it still stirred some ripples. He had fled to the Northern Domain, yet the Ji Family still refused to let him go, issuing a kill order.
If Yao Guang's people knew he had come to the Northern Domain, the Ji Family could not possibly be unaware.
"I think I've seen this kill order in other cities too," Ye Fan probed.
Old Knife Handle blew out a puff of smoke. "He offended someone he shouldn't have. That kid won't live long. Many of the Ji Family's younger generation have come, along with some young people from Yao Guang."
Ye Fan pretended to be casual, examining other commission tasks, and found several more about him—Leaf Kill Orders.
Not only were several of the Ji Family's young experts signed on them, but one kill order was issued by a disciple of Yao Guang Holy Land.
Ye Fan had learned the Grand Void Art and burned a Ji Family Supreme Elder to death. It was no surprise that family would not let him go. But why would a Yao Guang disciple he had never met do this? He immediately thought of Yao Xi—she had probably authorized it.
"Kill me... I'd like to see how you drag me out." Ye Fan sneered inwardly. If he had not cultivated the Source Heaven Scroll, which allowed him to change his aura, he would probably have been caught by now.
"Young experts of the younger generation—I'd like to test them." Ye Fan's strength had been growing recently, and he felt somewhat eager to find someone to try his blade against.
He did not believe everyone was like Ji Haoyue or the Holy Son Yao Guang. If they were young cultivators at the second or third heaven of the Dao Palace Secret Realm, he felt he could cut them down.
"How strong is this Ye Fan? Why are they making such a big fuss?" Ye Fan asked casually.
"From what I hear, half a year ago he was a cultivator in the Wheel Sea Secret Realm. In such a short time, there can't be too much change." Old Knife Handle blew a smoke ring, staring at him with cloudy old eyes. "Interested in taking the job? I'll only take fifteen percent of the bounty. The rest is yours."
"Fine, this poor Daoist accepts. Tell me all the details."
Half an hour later, Ye Fan left the southern district.
"How did it go, little Daoist? Did you reach an agreement? That old bastard didn't fleece you too badly, did he?" When he passed the stone shop, the owner asked warmly.
"He charged me fifty jin of Source. We leave in two days," Ye Fan replied.
"Though the price is steep, he didn't gouge you too badly." The stone shop owner smiled. "Buy a stone robe from me. It's old stone skin peeled from precious Source. It has the effect of warding off evil."
Beasts roared as a group of riders charged into Source City. They were all young people, no more than twenty or so years old, riding extraordinary mounts that hovered three feet off the ground as they swept through the streets.
Ye Fan rubbed his chin. He had just been thinking about them, and soon enough he saw the Ji Family members. Of course, he would not actively provoke trouble.
Two days later, Ye Fan arrived at Old Knife Handle's broken-down house in the southern district. A dozen or so people were already waiting there, most of them young.
"Half a month, and we've finally gathered enough people." Old Knife Handle held his pipe in his mouth. "Let me make this clear first. I'm only responsible for guiding. Life and death are your own concern. If you get summoned into the old mine, it has nothing to do with me."
These people already knew the rules. No one said anything else, only urging him to set out.
"Why bother? What's so interesting about an old mine? Every year, plenty of people get buried in there," Old Knife Handle grumbled.
Some people did not like hearing that. "Hey, old man, can't you say something auspicious? You make it sound like we're going to die."
"Fine, fine. May we have a smooth journey!" Old Knife Handle said no more. He never delegated this task to others—he always handled it himself.
When they walked out of Source City, Ye Fan saw the Ji Family's young people again. They were in a hurry, riding their beasts away at full speed.
Even though those strange beasts' hooves did not touch the ground, the wind still kicked up plenty of dust, drawing angry glares from those about to venture into the Primordial Ancient Mine.
"What's there to be so arrogant about? Do they really think this city is their personal palace?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. Do you know who those people are? They're from the Ji Family. That could bring disaster upon you."
The departing group had a few people turn back and glare. One of them sneered, "Disaster comes from the mouth. Watch your tongues." They did not stop, flying away like the wind.
"They're... too arrogant. So what if they're an ancient aristocratic clan?!" Someone was indignant, but only dared to mutter quietly after they had gone far.
Old Knife Handle had indeed walked this path for decades. He managed to bypass the Holy Lands' restricted areas, taking secret routes to circle around.
The group traveled with stops and starts. After ten days, they crossed a vast uninhabited region and traversed an endless great Gobi desert. Old Knife Handle brought them to the outer perimeter of the Primordial Ancient Mine.
They were now less than a thousand li from the so-called edge of the Primordial Forbidden Zone. They had arrived outside the legendary Forbidden Zone of Life.
"We can only advance another eight hundred li. Beyond that, we'll be taking risks. You must control yourselves—don't act recklessly, and especially don't say anything careless." Old Knife Handle warned solemnly.
This place was barren beyond description. The earth was red as blood, as it had been since ancient times. Desolation was the eternal theme.
Gravel was everywhere. The occasional stone mountain was also red as blood, silent as a tombstone.
"This place is so desolate. You can't even see a ghost," someone sighed.
"Don't talk nonsense!" Old Knife Handle scolded.
"Is it really that serious? There's nothing here. What's wrong with saying a few words?" A young man was dissatisfied, thinking the caution was excessive.
Old Knife Handle kept muttering, saying who knows what under his breath, while bowing repeatedly toward the front. Then he turned back and glared at the young man. "If you want to die, leave on your own. Don't follow us. Since I'm leading, everything must be done my way."
"Old Knife Handle, you're going too far! We paid you Source. How can you treat us like this?" The young man refused to accept it, questioning coldly.
"I can return your Source, and then you can leave on your own," Old Knife Handle replied flatly.
"Forget it. Everyone calm down. We're almost there. Let's all say less." Someone nearby tried to mediate.
Old Knife Handle said coldly, "I'm doing this for your own good. Speaking carelessly in this region can cost lives."
"Is it really that serious?" The people nearby did not quite believe it.
Old Knife Handle snorted. "Three years ago, because one person in the group had no verbal restraint, it brought great disaster. In the end, only I and two others survived out of more than twenty people."
"That terrifying? What happened? Did the others... die?" A few timid ones asked carefully.
"No one knows what happened. At the time, everyone went blind—couldn't sense anything. We only heard screams. When our senses returned, there were only more than twenty pools of blood on the ground." Old Knife Handle spoke calmly.
The vast land stretched empty, a thousand li of red as far as the eye could see, occasionally stirred by dust devils.
Everyone looked at each other, half-believing, half-doubting.
The young man from before clearly did not believe it. He sneered, "We're all cultivators. Are we afraid of ghosts and demons? I believe that as long as we don't enter the Forbidden Zone of Life, nothing bad will happen outside."
"Slap"
Old Knife Handle threw a bag of Source on the ground. "Leave. I'm returning your Source. You can't walk with us anymore."
"Forget it. Let's all stop talking nonsense and keep moving," someone urged.
"Fine, I won't say anything, alright?" The young man, seeing Old Knife Handle's stern face and seriousness, felt a bit uneasy himself.
"Remember, no one is to speak carelessly!" Old Knife Handle's face darkened as he gave the solemn warning.
The group flew at low altitude, advancing deeper into this land.
After traveling less than a hundred li, they began to see stone pillars. Some were enormous, standing on the earth for who knows how many years.
Occasionally, they also saw massive foundations. Each stone was several meters long. The foundations were thick and wide, truly astonishing.
"What ruins are these? If they were buildings, they would be incredibly grand. Were they the dwellings of giants?" someone asked in surprise.
"Look, this stone pillar has some patterns on it. Strange creatures are carved there. Truly ferocious—more terrifying than demons."
"Why are you talking nonsense again?!" Old Knife Handle was anxious, glaring at the young man.
"Is this taboo too?!" The young man was also getting angry.
"You need to understand where we are. The Primordial Ancient Mine is more unimaginable than you think!" Old Knife Handle scolded. "Five years ago, I saw with my own eyes more than thirty cultivators die violently before these ruins, blood staining the Primordial Forbidden Zone."
"What happened?" The others were alarmed.
"I don't know either. I only saw from afar—those people were evaporated, their blood shooting into the sky, their bodies turning to ash." Old Knife Handle seemed still shaken.
"Let's go. We'll keep moving." The others felt uncomfortable.
Old Knife Handle gave a heavy snort and distanced himself from that young man, as if avoiding a venomous snake, refusing to walk near him.
Seeing this, Ye Fan followed behind Old Knife Handle and also moved away from that fellow. Better to believe than to risk it.
The group advanced several hundred li. When they were less than a hundred li from the so-called edge, Old Knife Handle slowed down. "I suggest you stop here. Fly up high, use your divine abilities, and take a good look from here."
"Aren't there still a hundred li? We're still within the safe zone. Why stop?"
"Old sir, let's go a few dozen more li. We can't see anything from here."
"Fine." Old Knife Handle agreed.
They advanced another fifty li, approaching the edge of the Primordial Forbidden Zone. He absolutely refused to go further.
"A few dozen more li wouldn't be a problem. I'd like to find a few stone blocks at the edge of the Primordial Ancient Mine. Maybe with good luck, I could make a great find."
"What did you say?!" Old Knife Handle's eyes bulged, his hair and beard standing on end like a lion's mane.
"Since we're here, don't you want to bring back a few stones? If we cut something out, wouldn't the benefits be endless?" the young man said.
"You..." Old Knife Handle said nothing, turned around, and walked away.
"Old sir, don't go. We still need you to guide us," the others urged.
"He will get everyone killed." Old Knife Handle's face was dark to the extreme.
"I was only speaking the truth. Old Knife Handle, you're being overly cautious." The young man had been holding a fire in his heart, and now he could barely contain it.
Without warning, a great wind arose. Sand filled the sky. The sound of wind came from afar.
"When did the wind start? It was sunny just a moment ago."
"What's a little wind? We're all cultivators. Are we afraid of a gust of wind?"
"Can you just shut up?!" Old Knife Handle glared at the young man, then looked ahead with a grave expression.
Red sand filled the air, like a faint mist of blood, approaching from afar, closing in on the group.
"Woo..."
The wind was terrifying, like a vengeful spirit weeping. Sand filled the sky, growing stronger.
"Black whirlwinds!" Old Knife Handle's expression changed drastically.
In the distant sky, large patches of shadow approached rapidly, spinning in vortices, like dark clouds pressing down from all directions.
The red sand grains were covered by the black whirlwinds, dyed black. Shadows were everywhere.
"What kind of ghost wind is this? Coming from all directions?" The group was alarmed, all uneasy.
"Woo..."
The black whirlwinds rolled up the sand grains, arriving in the blink of an eye. The earth was pitch black. The whirlwinds had color, forming great vortices.
"Ah..."
A scream came. The young man who had been arguing with Old Knife Handle had his body split open like by a sharp blade, leaving a large pool of blood on the ground. He was shattered in the black whirlwind.
Ye Fan's eyes immediately sharpened. In those black whirlwinds, he sensed a terrifying aura. He extended his divine sense to observe but saw nothing.
The center of each black whirlwind was a dark hole, as if it could devour everything.
"Ah..."
Another person was shattered by the black wind, only managing a single scream before dying.
Now even Ye Fan felt his hair stand on end. He had not expected visiting the Primordial Forbidden Zone to be so dangerous, with death at every turn.
At this moment, survival was paramount. He summoned the cauldron forged from Primordial Mother Qi and hid inside it, then used the Li Fire Divine Furnace to absorb the cauldron.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
The black whirlwinds swept over, like sharp swords slashing, striking the Li Fire Divine Furnace with earth-shaking sounds.
Dazzling light burst forth. The bronze furnace sparkled brilliantly. The sun engraved on it radiated vigorous life force and brilliance.
Phoenix cries resounded through the sky. Several blurry divine birds flew around the furnace, flames blazing, burning with sky-engulfing fire.
The black whirlwinds howled as they swept past. Several more people were shattered, turning into mist.
"Clang," "Clang"...
Earth-shaking sounds rang out. Ye Fan felt as if a giant hand was violently slapping the bronze furnace, making him sense terrifying power even inside the cauldron.
"Is this really a black whirlwind? How can it have such force?"
His heart was filled with doubt, but he dared not take risks. He could only stay inside, letting the deafening sounds continue outside.
In a daze, Ye Fan seemed to hear heavy breathing and the sound of a massive body walking. The earth seemed to tremble slightly.
"Is it the black whirlwinds, or is some creature moving about?"
No one knew how long passed. The wind outside finally stopped. The world grew calm. No special sounds could be heard.
Ye Fan put away the cauldron forged from Primordial Mother Qi. He did not want others to see it, or it would cause tremendous trouble.
Then he flew out of the Li Fire Divine Furnace and landed on the ground.
To his great surprise, the bronze furnace was not damaged. Though it was pitted and dented, it was slowly recovering, as if it would soon be restored.
"This weapon is strange..."
Ye Fan knew this was certainly not the true Sun God Furnace. An Extreme Weapon could suppress even Great Powers to death, being countless times more terrifying than this. Moreover, it would not be dented by blows.
"Flash"
Light flashed. The Li Fire Divine Furnace restored itself, possessing an indestructible ability that shocked him deeply.
How could an ordinary weapon display such miraculous behavior? He found it difficult to determine what rank this bronze furnace was.
The furnace shrank to an inch high, like five-colored crystal, appearing in his palm. Ye Fan did not put it away. He held it in his hand for self-defense, ready to deploy it at any moment.
The scene before him had completely changed. The black wind had blown him who knows where. Chaotic rocks lay scattered, red sand covered the ground.
Not far away stood a figure. Old Knife Handle silently held his pipe in his mouth, his brows deeply furrowed.
In addition, seven people lay unconscious on the ground, not killed by the black whirlwinds.
"What happened? Where are we?" Ye Fan asked.
Looking into the distance, the surroundings were empty and very quiet, like a bloody great plain dotted with a few large rocks.
"We've probably entered the Primordial Ancient Mine," Old Knife Handle said, exhaling a heavy puff of smoke.
"That's impossible!" Ye Fan was shocked.
"Don't worry. We haven't fallen into that divine mine." Old Knife Handle's wrinkled face squeezed together as he paced a few steps. "They say the forbidden zone where the Primordial Ancient Mine is located spans several hundred li, some say several thousand. We're probably inside the forbidden zone."
"How did this happen..." Ye Fan frowned.
The seven people who had been unconscious woke up, their faces pale, filled with boundless fear.
"If even the various Saint Lords can only turn to red earth when they enter, won't we surely die here?!" The newly awakened were filled with despair.
"They walked toward the Primordial Ancient Mine and naturally never returned. I said this area is vast. We haven't entered the central region. Perhaps there's still hope." Old Knife Handle gazed at the distant horizon.
"Really?"
"The chance is slim, but there is still some hope. Similar things have happened before. Some people have walked out alive."
"What were those black whirlwinds?" Ye Fan asked.
"I don't know either." Old Knife Handle shook his head. "This forbidden zone often produces strange winds. The black whirlwinds are already the mildest."
The nine of them set out. Old Knife Handle, relying on his instincts, identified a direction and led the way.
"Old sir, please make sure you find the right path back. Otherwise, we might walk straight into the Primordial Ancient Mine..." a survivor said tremblingly.
Old Knife Handle said nothing, simply leading the way ahead.
Though they were not truly standing before the Primordial Ancient Mine, they still dared not fly. There were all kinds of legends about the Primordial Divine Mine, claiming that even birds could not cross it—anyone who leaped into the air would surely perish body and soul.
After walking a dozen li, a huge chasm lay ahead, stretching for several li.
Ye Fan frowned and observed carefully. A chill ran down his spine.
He had not expected to truly see this kind of terrain, exactly as recorded in the Source Heaven Scroll.
"Don't go down!" He saw a cultivator trying to peer into the chasm and wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.
In just an instant, the cultivator standing at the edge of the chasm had all his blood evaporated, turning into a red light that vanished into the rift valley. His body turned to ash.
"How can this be?!" The others were terrified, retreating, their faces bloodless.
That person had only taken a few more steps than them, and he was instantly reduced to ashes. Witnessing it made their scalps tingle.
Even Old Knife Handle changed color. He had sensed the danger beforehand, but he had not imagined it would be so terrifying. This was truly a demonic land.
A chill kept rising along Ye Fan's spine. This forbidden zone was too terrifying, completely beyond imagination.
Far from that divine mine, without even entering the central region, they had encountered such legendary terrain. It made his skin crawl.
This huge chasm was long and imposing. Looking closely, its shape resembled a crouching dragon, incredibly lifelike, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
It was as if a real dragon had once slept here, crushing the earth, forming this great rift valley.
The Source Heaven Scroll recorded this as a place of great calamity, a legendary "Fire Dragon Tomb," a dragon burial ground.
Ye Fan had once carefully studied those passages, unsure whether it referred to burying a true dragon or a dragon vein. He had not yet fully understood—the ancient text was too obscure.
According to the Source Heaven Scroll, a Fire Dragon Tomb must contain divine Source, absolutely a peerless treasure among Sources. However, there were also stern warnings: encountering a Fire Dragon Tomb, one must flee. Unless absolutely necessary, never dig it open, or there would be great disaster.
"The Primordial Ancient Mine... what kind of place is it?!" Ye Fan could not calm down. Surging waves rose in his heart. To see such terrain on the outside made it truly hard to imagine what mountain and river formations surrounded that ancient mine.
"We'll go around it. Don't approach the great chasm," he warned solemnly.
"Right. This is a death pit. I feel that no matter how many powerful cultivators enter, they would all die." Old Knife Handle nodded, his expression serious, agreeing.
The eight of them unanimously agreed to go around from the dragon's head end. They walked several li and finally reached the dragon's head. It was indeed lifelike, truly like a dragon corpse lying on the ground.
"This place..." Old Knife Handle frowned. His innate instincts made his heart pound.
"Not good. Retreat! Leave here immediately!" Ye Fan felt his hairs stand on end.
Before the dragon's head was a very small lake, only a dozen or so zhang across. It was a vivid red, the water like blood, making one's heart tremble.
Even an ordinary person would be shocked. The barren forbidden zone had no grass growing. There should be no water at all. How could there be such a lake?!
And in Ye Fan's eyes, it was even more extraordinary. A chill ran through his body. The Fire Dragon Tomb was already terrifying enough. Adding this blood lake made it the most calamitous of calamities.
According to the Source Heaven Scroll, this was "Dragon Blood Spilled," extremely rare in the world. It contained Blood Divine Source, almost impossible to obtain. Touching it meant certain death.
"Fire Dragon Tomb" plus "Dragon Blood Spilled"—such terrain combined. If disturbed, even the peerless Divine King of the Eastern Wasteland would find it hard to escape disaster.