Chapter 427: Forbidden Zone
Ji Ziyue had quite a few people around her, but none of them caught Ye Fan's eye. What truly made him wary were the hidden experts—elders of the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
"Ji Hui... that damned old hag!"
In the past, he had escorted Ji Ziyue back over a thousand miles without expecting gratitude, but Ji Hui had nearly sent him to eternal ruin. He had never hated anyone so deeply.
Ye Fan watched Ji Hui from the shadows, several times almost unable to resist striking. With his current indestructible physical body, he could silently approach and kill her with a single blow.
But he held back in the end. A small lack of patience could ruin a great plan. He had come for the Divine Immortality Pill in the Ancient Forbidden Land. Killing Ji Hui and exposing his whereabouts would trigger too many variables.
In this region, the Ji Family and Yaoguang were absolute rulers. This was their sphere of influence, and no one could shake their position.
"You're all so annoying! I'm not going any further!" Ji Ziyue squatted on the ground, throwing a tantrum, pouting and refusing to get up.
Her big, mischievous eyes darted around as she continued searching for a chance to escape. She had her sights set on the people of the Guhua Imperial Dynasty, hoping to use their power.
Many cultivators had arrived in Yan Capital. The Guhua Imperial Dynasty made no effort to hide themselves—some wore dragon-patterned imperial robes, while others had dragon qi coiling around their bodies.
Ye Fan pondered for a moment and decided not to follow. Instead, he continued searching the city for the little girl. But no matter how vast his divine sense was, he couldn't find her.
He asked around, but everyone said there were many abandoned children in the city. No one knew which one he meant, and no one had paid special attention. There were no results.
Ye Fan checked into an inn, rented a quiet courtyard, and began refining a stone garment. Entering and leaving the Ancient Forbidden Land depended entirely on this.
The stone skin of Divine Source was not sturdy and couldn't be used as armor, but it could isolate all auras—a peculiar material.
All Source Art masters possessed Divine Source stone garments, invaluable treasures for entering forbidden lands and ancient mines deep in the mountains. As a successor of the Origin Heavenly Master, Ye Fan naturally understood this.
The Immortal-Sealing Six Seals was a supreme Source Art requiring six types of Divine Source stone skin as materials. The art approached the Dao, capable of sealing not only Source but also mountains, rivers, and even peerless experts.
Unfortunately, the Source Heaven Scroll contained only a few obscure lines, extremely difficult to comprehend. It was an incomplete, still-theoretical supreme Source Art.
Ye Fan struggled for a long time, exhausting his energy on those few ancient characters, and only grasped ten to twenty percent—enough for little more than the first seal.
But that was sufficient. Though he had collected quite a bit of stone skin, he only had two types. There was no way to gather all six ancient materials.
All the Divine Source Ye Fan had obtained was golden. Other types were extremely rare, encountered only by chance.
Back then, when he dueled with the Source Art Aristocratic Clan, Nan Gongqi had cut open a blood sacrifice altar, revealing a silver Divine Source that shimmered like stars and moonlight, sealing a young girl inside.
At the time, Ye Fan hadn't known the origin of that Source. Only later did he realize it was an even rarer, more precious type of Divine Source. And naturally, its stone skin had fallen into his hands.
For seven full days and nights, Ye Fan nearly exhausted his life force, doing everything he could. He destroyed seventy to eighty percent of the stone skin before finally completing the stone garment, fusing the two ancient materials together.
It wasn't enough for the garment to take shape. During those days, Ye Fan poured his heart and soul into it, concentrating all his mental energy as he carved tens of thousands of Source Heaven patterns into the stone garment.
The divine patterns he imprinted were profound and complex. Every single line condensed his essence, energy, and spirit—the ultimate expression of the Source Art he currently mastered.
Ye Fan transformed endless insights and countless esoteric Source Arts into tangible divine patterns, refining them into the stone garment according to the records in the Source Heaven Scroll.
After finishing all this, he was nearly drained, too lazy to move even a finger. It took a long rest before he recovered.
The stone garment looked simple and natural, showing no signs of being crafted by a Source Art master—it had returned to simplicity.
Ye Fan was very satisfied. This was his only masterpiece so far. When he put it on, it felt as if he were cut off from heaven and earth, existing in another void.
As soon as he emerged from seclusion, he immediately sensed something unusual. A massive number of cultivators had gathered in Yan Capital, and the atmosphere was extremely tense. Another supreme sect from Central Province had finally arrived.
The Yin Yang Sect had an incredibly ancient heritage, tracing back to the dawn of humanity. They modeled themselves after heaven, earth, and nature, possessing terrifyingly powerful strength.
Among the Hundred Schools of Thought in Central Province, it ranked among the top few, worthy of being called a Holy Land. Though it had never produced a Great Emperor or possessed an Extreme Imperial Weapon, it could still rival the four immortal imperial dynasties.
The Yin Yang Sect had branches all over the world, even in the Northern Domain of the Eastern Wasteland, but its origin was in Central Province. Since ancient times, it had always flourished, never ceasing.
Aside from the Guhua Imperial Dynasty and the Yin Yang Sect, many other major powers had also arrived, unable to resist the temptation. The Divine Immortality Pill was a celestial treasure—only ancient Great Emperors had ever cultivated it. It had vanished from the world, with only a few remaining in the Forbidden Zones.
Ye Fan flickered a few times, turning into a streak of light as he shot out of Yan Capital, flying toward the primeval ancient forest where the Ancient Forbidden Land lay. He was truly afraid someone might beat him to it—if that happened, he'd have no place to cry.
The eight-hundred-mile primeval forest had an ancient, wild appearance. Many cultivators had already gathered at its outer edges, and quite a few had ventured deep inside.
Ye Fan's heart sank. He sensed trouble. Were the Guhua Imperial Dynasty and the Yin Yang Sect about to make their move?
After advancing several hundred li, no one dared to continue flying. A few terrifyingly powerful beings dwelled near the outer reaches of the Forbidden Zone.
Some demon clans had chosen to take human form long ago, while others always cultivated in their original beast forms, evolving as beast kings. Neither path was inherently stronger or weaker.
But the demon clans that refused to take human form were mostly naturally powerful and extremely proud races. They didn't want to integrate into a human-dominated world.
Many people knew that such beings dwelled outside the Ancient Forbidden Land. They were not close to humanity, and once angered, they would leave mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Ye Fan ventured deeper and encountered a few rogue cultivators. Only after learning the details did he breathe a long sigh of relief.
The Guhua Imperial Dynasty and the Yin Yang Sect weren't planning to enter yet. They were just scouting and making thorough plans.
Ahead, roars shook the heavens, mountains trembled, leaves flew wildly in the ancient forest, and the ground quaked. It took a long time for everything to settle.
"So terrifying! A strange beast fought the imperial uncle of the Guhua Imperial Dynasty to a standstill!"
The shocking news spread, stunning the rogue cultivators who had gathered here. Their faces changed color. To match a Saint Lord-rank figure—how terrifying was that beast?
Ye Fan and a dozen rogue cultivators moved forward, arriving at the site of the great battle. It was deathly silent here—no grass, no trees, no birds or insects. In front of a field of scattered rocks lay a massive lake.
It was as still as a block of iron, without a single ripple. But what was most shocking was its color—pitch black, like ink, an eerie, unsettling black.
This was a barren land. Not even a single weed grew nearby. The black lake was lifeless, showing no signs of life—a true evil water.
A few rogue cultivators who had witnessed the battle were all pale-faced. One of them trembled as he spoke: "It's the legendary Black Gold Cicada!"
The Black Gold Cicada was an ancient strange beast. As time passed, it became rare in the world, appearing only once every ten thousand years or so in the great wilderness.
Soon after, Ye Fan and some others neared the edge of the Ancient Forbidden Land. The people of the Guhua Imperial Dynasty and the Yin Yang Sect stood on two separate mountain peaks, gazing into the distance.
In addition, over a hundred rogue cultivators were here observing. They were still several li away from the actual Forbidden Zone, but no one dared to take another step forward. Facing this forbidden land, they were filled with awe—it could easily strip away a person's entire lifespan.
Ye Fan clearly sensed something unusual. The Ancient Forbidden Land was even more terrifying than before. He had entered it once and was very sensitive to the aura of "desolation." It had intensified many times over.
This was not a good omen. He frowned and lowered his head in thought.
"The Guhua Imperial Dynasty brought a divine garment, left behind by an ancient sage after their passing. They've truly spared no expense."
"A divine garment of an ancient sage... Such a peerless divine object exists. Maybe they can actually succeed."
Some people murmured quietly.
Ye Fan's heart pounded violently. This was extremely bad news. He had seen firsthand how terrifying an ancient sage's divine garment could be—it could easily break through even the Pure Land of a Peerless Divine King!
"The Yin Yang Sect is also well-prepared. Rumor has it they traveled far to the Northern Domain and invited the Ancient Source Art Aristocratic Clan to refine some mysterious stone garments, said to weaken the curse's aura."
"Both major powers have put in tremendous effort. They're determined to succeed!"
Hearing such news, Ye Fan could no longer remain calm. Others, like him, had prepared stone garments, and there was even an ancient sage's divine garment. The situation was not optimistic.
He wanted to enter the Forbidden Zone immediately, but he saw that the Guhua Imperial Dynasty and the Yin Yang Sect had each built high platforms on their respective mountain peaks, intending to stay here long-term and watch the Nine Sacred Mountains.
"Damn it!" Ye Fan rubbed his chin, thinking carefully. Everything was working against him.
In the end, the Guhua Imperial Dynasty and the Yin Yang Sect left behind their top experts, while everyone else retreated. This place was impossible to stay in for long—if a strange beast suddenly charged out, it could wipe everyone out.
Seeing this, the many rogue cultivators quickly withdrew. They didn't have the courage to face a terrifying existence like the Black Gold Cicada. If one appeared, no one would survive.
Ye Fan had no choice but to retreat as well. Otherwise, the remaining top experts would surely notice something unusual.
Over the next half month, the Guhua Imperial Dynasty and the Yin Yang Sect made no moves. They continued observing, extremely patient.
For Ye Fan, this was a real pressure. He had at most half a year to live, possibly even less than a hundred days. He couldn't afford to wait.
During this time, Ye Huiling arrived, but Ye Fan hadn't met with her yet. He needed to calmly observe first.
Then, Wang Chongxiao also arrived. He had defeated all the young experts of the Southern Domain, sweeping through everything, and then fought a great battle with the senior disciple of the Yin Yang Sect, causing quite a stir.
Ye Fan gradually calmed down. For now, he could only wait and see. He had made multiple contingency plans.
The Divine Immortality Pill was sentient and could choose its own dwelling place. Even in the ancient era, only a few existed. To prevent mortals from picking them, legends said they all flew into the seven great Forbidden Zones of Life.
The Nine Sacred Mountains bore nine types of sacred fruits. Legend had it that a single main root had been split into nine, as someone tried to multiply the Divine Immortality Pill, but an anomaly occurred instead...
These were things Ye Fan had learned recently, uncovering many secrets he hadn't known before.
While waiting, Ye Fan saw an old acquaintance in a small tavern in Yan Capital—Zhang Wenchang, his old classmate, naturally dull and slow.
Zhang Wenchang had graying temples, looking aged and decrepit, without a trace of vitality. He had never recovered since leaving the Ancient Forbidden Land. This small tavern was his.
Ye Fan remembered the time they got drunk together in the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven. The dull Zhang Wenchang had cried after getting drunk, wanting to return to his hometown. When he left, his wife was pregnant, and his child was about to be born. He hated himself for not being there.
Years had passed, and he had grown even older, filled with a stifling gloom. Clearly, life had not been kind to him. He had left the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven and come here to open this small tavern.
"Old man, has that friend of yours really never come back?" A young man in the tavern spoke arrogantly, looking down on Zhang Wenchang with contempt.
"No..." Zhang Wenchang's eyes were dim, without a trace of light.
Another young man spoke up: "Aunt Ji Hui predicted he would come back. He's sure to visit you. You useless old fool, if you know anything, tell us immediately!"
Hearing these words, Ye Fan's face darkened, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.