Chapter 435: Recovery and Breakthrough
The Vermilion Bird Fruit, Cauldron-Shaped Fruit, and Eight Trigram Fruit were pristine and flawless, shining like seven-colored glazed glass, dazzling and brilliant. After being refined, they transformed into mysterious and unfathomable incomplete Dao diagrams that continuously imprinted themselves into his body.
Outside Ye Fan's body, a small Vermilion Bird as red as blood danced, a simple and natural small cauldron rose and fell, and a profound Eight Trigram diagram rotated—an extremely peculiar sight.
The medicinal power was simply too potent. If he had not inscribed the nine ancient characters onto his body, he might have turned into a young child. If he ended up as small as Little Nannan, that would have been quite the joke.
Inside the bronze coffin, a pile of impurities appeared on the ground, including broken bones and dried, cracked skin. This sight sent chills down his spine, but it was real—this was what he had shed himself.
Over the past half month, Ye Fan had been undergoing a true rebirth, but it was an inhuman torment. His entire body had split open, his five viscera and six bowels resonated like heavenly music, and his bones shattered inch by inch before recombining.
In the end, he took two of each of the last three divine fruits. After nearly twenty days of seclusion, he had completely absorbed the medicinal effects of the six sacred fruits.
At this moment, his body was flawless and pure, his entire being crystalline and nearly transparent. Faint golden light flickered in his bright red blood, and streams of golden radiance flowed within.
Ye Fan stood up and pressed his hand into the void. The space immediately collapsed. His physical body was pristine and flawless, radiating precious light, like an immortal deity on a divine altar.
At this moment, he felt that his physical body was comparable to a Saint Lord. If those people did not use their overwhelming dharma power and only fought him with their physical bodies, he could crush them!
One must understand that there were many heavenly chasms between their realms. In terms of cultivation, they were still far apart, but his physical shell was even stronger—a truly shocking fact.
The medicinal power of the divine fruits was extraordinary, allowing him to undergo another rebirth. Now, without needing weapons, he could shatter divine weapons and precious blades with his bare hands. He himself was a powerful human-shaped weapon.
However, Ye Fan let out a light sigh, somewhat regretful.
Several years ago, when he first consumed a sacred fruit, besides undergoing rebirth, it also dissolved his Sea of Suffering, allowing his Sacred Body to cultivate.
The second time he consumed a sacred fruit, after his physical body underwent transformation, his divine sense became incredibly terrifying. A golden lake formed in his brow, becoming a powerful trump card.
But this time, all those strange and mighty forces had sunk into the Dao wounds, not manifesting externally, helping him resolve his certain-death situation.
"Damn Dao cracks!"
But he quickly let go. The Sacred Body had been unable to cultivate for over a hundred thousand years. How could the curse be truly broken without paying a huge price?
One could say that he was using an Immortal Divine Medicine to resist the invisible Great Dao of heaven and earth. Being able to achieve such a result was already a blessing in misfortune.
The Peerless Divine King had exhausted all his efforts, nearly sacrificing his life, yet ultimately could not help him defy heaven. Needing so many sacred fruits to change his certain-death outcome was not unexpected—it had long been fated.
Ye Fan examined his injuries internally, a faint smile appearing on his face. After dozens of days of nourishment, the Dao cracks had healed, and his life origin was crystalline and pure.
"This is…" Suddenly, his smile froze. Although the large crack in his life origin had healed, there was still a barely visible small fissure.
If he hadn't carefully examined himself, he wouldn't have noticed it at all. It was too hidden—just a single line of a crack, a kind of hidden injury. If he walked out of the Ancient Forbidden Land like this, the old wound would likely split open again over time.
"Why is this happening?!" Ye Fan's heart could not calm down. He had consumed all kinds of sacred fruits. Although he still had some in hand, the law fragments they contained were repetitive and no longer useful for the Dao wounds.
In this ancient heaven and earth, even nourishing himself with divine fruits couldn't heal it. What other method was feasible?
Ye Fan frowned deeply. This was a very bad discovery. Was he truly destined to be suppressed by heaven and earth, unable to walk out intact?
Suddenly, he raised his head, as if he had suddenly thought of something. He muttered to himself, "That's right, it must be this way!"
The Nine Sacred Mountains jointly gave birth to nine types of divine roots. Although they bore many sacred fruits with astonishing medicinal power, they were ultimately not true Immortal Divine Medicines.
"In reality, there is only one Immortal Divine Medicine here. What I obtained is incomplete, not whole." Ye Fan realized.
The nine divine roots combined into one were the original Immortal Divine Medicine. Only then would the heavenly laws it contained be complete, capable of repairing the Dao wounds in his body.
Over the past few dozen days, he had refined seven types of sacred fruits one after another. Only two were missing—he had consumed them himself several years ago. Was this the will of heaven?
"Only by combining all nine divine fruits can the Dao wounds be smoothed over, or by finding a truly mature Immortal Divine Medicine, not these split, mutated fruits…"
Ye Fan looked at the Qilin seed in his hand. This was not a mature form. Even if planted on a sacred mountain, who knew how many years it would take before it could be harvested.
He thought carefully, a gleam of light appearing in his eyes. He once again shouldered the small bronze coffin and began climbing the mountain, striving to completely resolve his own crisis.
At this moment, his physical body was more terrifying than a Saint Lord's. Carrying the bronze coffin was no longer so strenuous. He soon arrived at a sacred mountain—the same place where he had first picked a sacred fruit several years ago.
He placed the bronze coffin on the ground, entered the life spring pool, carefully dug at the roots of a small tree, and cut off a small section of root.
Since the main root of the Immortal Divine Medicine had split into nine divine roots, their rootstalks were definitely the most essential parts. He wanted to use them to make up for the deficiency.
Ye Fan did not want to do anything destructive. There were thirteen small trees here. From each one, he only cut a small side root and picked some branches and leaves before descending the mountain.
Seven days later, Ye Fan opened his eyes inside the giant bronze coffin, revealing a satisfied expression. Everything was as he had guessed. The divine roots contained Dao fragments, with Dao diagrams appearing and imprinting into his body. The tiny crack in his life origin had almost completely disappeared.
He naturally wanted to achieve perfection, not leaving behind any aftereffects. He once again shouldered the small bronze coffin and climbed the mountain, arriving before the second type of divine medicine he had picked several years ago, digging up the divine roots.
Over ten days later, Ye Fan sat cross-legged in the giant coffin, carefully examining himself. His life origin was completely crystalline and pure, flawless. The Dao wounds had completely disappeared, with no more imperfections.
At this point, in this heaven and earth that preserved ancient laws, Ye Fan's injuries were completely healed, with no more hidden worries. He let out a long breath. He had finally truly broken the curse, defying heaven to reconnect the severed path of the Sacred Body.
But the cost was simply too great. If the outside world remained unchanged, it would almost be impossible for another Sacred Body like him to appear. No one could bear such a price.
This trip was a complete success. He had resolved his certain-death situation!
"An Immortal Divine Medicine truly defies heaven. No wonder every Great Emperor planted one. It can not only revive the dead and regenerate flesh but also contains Dao laws!" Ye Fan sighed.
Immortal Divine Medicines, even in the ancient era, there were only a few. They were the most precious sacred objects in heaven and earth, worthy of being called immortal treasures, rare in the entire world.
Now, there was even less need to mention it. Immortal Divine Medicines had all flown into the seven great Forbidden Zones of Life, no longer visible, becoming a legend.
The sacred fruits of the Ancient Forbidden Land were not true Immortal Divine Medicines, but they contained boundless mighty power. Each type was enough to allow Ye Fan to undergo rebirth. From this, one could imagine how inconceivable a true ancient divine medicine would be.
Ye Fan did not leave but continued to cultivate here. Perhaps this ancient heaven and earth could help him accelerate his cultivation. Hiding in the ancient coffin, he didn't have to worry about being eroded by the power of desolation.
After entering the Four Extremes Secret Realm, all cultivation required enlightenment, not relying on external things like Divine Source to push forward. Ye Fan had long known this. This absorption of sacred fruits was a clear example.
His physical body had transformed to be strong enough to contend with Saint Lords, even enough to overpower them. But his dharma power and cultivation had not yet broken through to a new realm.
"The Four Extremes Secret Realm requires one to lodge in the void, imprint the merciless Great Dao, and comprehend the laws of heaven and earth to advance. It cultivates not only the physical body but also the true 'Dao'!"
Ye Fan went into seclusion, sitting cross-legged in the ancient coffin, motionless. His heart was peaceful, extremely ethereal. He meditated quietly, his entire figure blurring, imprinting itself into the void.
One day, two days, three days… ten days…
Ye Fan's heart was empty and bright. Sometimes it flowed with radiance, sometimes it was a void of nothingness. He was like an eternal deity, unaware of the passage of time, letting the mortal world rise and fall, seeking his own immortality.
One of his arms seemed to disappear, sinking into the void, reaching toward the utmost limits of heaven and earth!
The human body has four limbs, which can reach the four extremes of heaven and earth, connecting to the myriad Great Daos. His left arm imprinted itself in the void, transforming into a Dao diagram, becoming eternal!
Ye Fan circulated the profound methods recorded in the Eternal Universe Scripture, comprehending the Great Dao of heaven and earth, allowing his "first extremity" to become an embodiment of the Dao. Various wondrous sounds from heaven and earth came simultaneously.
Even in this cursed forbidden land, nothing could stop it. Various heavenly patterns fell like crystalline petals, scattering and sinking into the ancient coffin.
One Dao diagram after another appeared, surrounding Ye Fan. He was like an immortal deity, surrounded by chaotic qi, as if sitting at the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, enveloped by various Dao patterns.
The heavenly sound of the Dao resounded through the clouds. He was without worry or joy, his expression serene, like a deity holding a flower and smiling, with a calmness and confidence, merging with heaven and earth.
In this recent period, he had experienced too many things, always wandering between life and death. He had long given birth to a "Dao feeling." This time, in seclusion inside the forbidden land's ancient coffin, everything came naturally, and he broke through in one go.
Ye Fan's left arm sank into heaven and earth, becoming eternal, an embodiment of the Dao. His right arm also flickered uncertainly, surrounded by various Dao diagrams. He advanced into the second level of the Four Extremes realm.
He did not move, sitting cross-legged there. The divine sound of the Dao within his body was incessant, connecting to the myriad Great Daos, as if ancient deities were chanting scriptures!
Three months after entering the Ancient Forbidden Land, Ye Fan finally opened his eyes. His pupils held a serene peace, and his heart was incomparably calm. He was only one step away from the third level of the Four Extremes realm.
He stood up, gazing into the distance outside the Ancient Forbidden Land, muttering to himself, "It's time to leave."
Ye Fan had thoughts on his mind and could no longer sit still. If he wanted to break through further, he needed an opportunity, something that could not be solved by just sitting in meditation.
He thought of Little Tingting and of Divine King Jiang. He could delay no longer. The flames of life of those two could go out at any moment. He needed to carry the sacred fruits and find them as soon as possible.
This was also the main reason his Dao heart was unstable, preventing him from breaking through further!
"Disappeared from the mortal world for three months. Perhaps many people think I am dead…" Ye Fan stood up, looking toward the outside of the Ancient Forbidden Land.