Chapter 634: Crossing the Heavenly Moat
The Immortal Transformation Pool and the Millennia-Old Dragon Lair coexisted, not far apart, which surprised the group. Two pure lands long coveted by the world were located in the same place.
"No wonder they always appear one after the other—they're both in the Ascension Grounds. This is nearly the mythical Yin-Yang Dual Lair!"
Not just Ye Fan, who had mastered Source Arts, but the others also recognized the uniqueness of this place. It was a natural divine land of Yin and Yang.
The Immortal Transformation Pool sat atop a giant mountain peak, spacious and open. The waters shimmered, radiant with flowing light and surging clouds of brilliance. The Yang energy was extremely heavy, rushing forth like heavenly fire.
On the other side, a great mountain range held an ancient cave at its base. It exhaled dragon qi, sacred yet infused with the flow of Grand Yin true force.
"The Millennia-Old Great Dragon of the Qinling Mountains is moving!"
The group was astonished. The great mountain containing the dragon lair was not stationary; it shifted at a speed imperceptible to ordinary people, making it highly unusual.
"To find the Immortal Transformation Pool like this, and also see the number one ancient lair of the Qinling Mountains... it's almost unbelievable!" They all felt a sense of unreality. This was a heavenly opportunity so immense it could take one's breath away.
At that moment, Ye Fan frowned. Although they were only a dozen or so miles away, every step forward was fraught with deadly danger. It was not easy to approach.
"It's as difficult as crossing a heavenly moat—a path of death that's nearly impossible to traverse." He solemnly warned everyone not to act rashly and, above all, not to advance.
Though the Ascension Grounds had been infinitely weakened, the final stretch of the journey was terrifying, harder than ascending to heaven. It was known as "Crossing the Heavenly Moat."
"A hundred miles of death pass, ninety miles of the ascension path, ten miles of crossing the heavenly moat—even a sage would find it hard to get through these last ten miles!"
"Is it that serious?" The others felt a chill. Every step forward was like braving a deadly barrier.
"It's even worse than I said. Crossing the Heavenly Moat is also called 'Immortals Do Not Cross.' It's almost impossible for mortals to pass, one of the most terrifying terrains in the world!" Ye Fan said gravely.
He hadn't expected the last ten miles to be so heaven-defying, actually manifesting as "Immortals Do Not Cross." This kind of terrain was rarely seen in ancient or modern times, yet it appeared here and now.
"What do we do?" Although they had reached the most ancient dragon lair of the Central Province, they couldn't get close. They were deeply unwilling.
Ye Fan said, "For now, we have to wait patiently. The Immortal Transformation Pool and the ancient lair haven't truly descended yet. In a few days, 'Immortals Do Not Cross' might become passable."
The ninety-mile ascension path was originally a death ground. On ordinary days, it was impossible to pass—even a Saint Lord would meet their end there, cutting off all the world's heroes.
But now, because the Immortal Transformation Pool was descending on its own, manifesting in the world, all dangers had been infinitely weakened, nearly eliminated, allowing them to reach this point.
The final ten-mile "Crossing the Heavenly Moat" had not been weakened. Even a Greatly Accomplished King who took a single step forward would face certain death.
A dozen silver-winged yakshas flew past, letting out piercing cries before vanishing over the horizon. On another side, several ancient corpses on the rocky cliffs inhaled the evening glow, exuding an indescribable eeriness.
"This place is really sinister. Though it's extremely sacred, why are there so many undead beings?"
On the ground, the evening glow dyed everything red. Humanoid figures occasionally appeared, but they were definitely not human—many were steeped in deathly stillness.
"The Qinling Mountains have many ancient tombs underground. Some ancient remains have astonishing origins. Some have become sentient and come here—it's not surprising."
"If that's the case, then a living being was truly buried in the Millennia-Old Dragon Lair. After all these years of nourishment, who could deal with it?"
Suddenly, a commotion arose on the horizon. Silver-winged yakshas, flying vengeful spirits, and others all fled in panic, like a stampede of ten thousand beasts.
"Something's wrong. It's like when the king of beasts appears, and all the animals are terrified."
A loud rumble came from the horizon. A tall old man appeared, his hair as yellow and wild as grass, walking step by step.
He was over two and a half meters tall, much taller than an ordinary person, with a powerful, imposing build. Each step he took made the earth tremble.
"This person's physical body is almost terrifying. How heavy is he? It's like a mountain is moving!"
As he drew near, the old man with yellow hair and eyes like golden pearls pressed down on them like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.
"This is a super old Imperial Lord of the Nine Li Dynasty!" The group was shocked.
This man had long since passed away. The divine imperial robe he wore was rotting, but the marks of the Nine Li Divine Dynasty were still faintly visible, tattered and worn.
"This is a divine robe on par with a king-level divine weapon, yet it's rotted away. How many years has it existed?" Wu Zhongtian's pupils contracted.
"At least forty thousand years or more. Otherwise, a king-level divine robe couldn't have decayed like this." Ji Haoyue said.
Everyone was wary, but the only reassuring thing was that this ancient corpse seemed to have just awakened its intelligence. Its eyes were still dull and not very agile.
"His physical body is strong, but he doesn't have many techniques. We should be able to handle him." Ye Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been the golden-bodied old monk from last time, everyone present would probably have died.
"He's coming for us!"
This imposing old Imperial Lord, his golden eyes tinged with deathly aura, strode forward and reached out a large hand to grab them.
"Chi"
Ji Haoyue flicked his finger, sending out a string of five-colored blood beads that struck the red-haired creature. This was Divine King blood, imbued with the divine power to break evil.
But the divine blood, though powerful, hit the old Imperial Lord with a thudding sound without penetrating. It couldn't harm him and was useless.
"Bad news. This person was incredibly powerful in life—a King Body. Though he didn't cultivate to Great Accomplishment, divine blood is useless against him because he himself possessed it!" Ji Haoyue exclaimed in alarm.
"What?!" The group was shocked. This was actually an old King Body—the news was astonishing enough.
Fortunately, this evil spirit had only recently awakened its intelligence. It only knew how to absorb the essence of the sun and moon and had no terrifying techniques yet—only a solid corpse.
"Bang"
Wu Zhongtian, Li Heishui, and others struck, unleashing various treasures, but none could shake this super old Imperial Lord. All were repelled.
"A king's remains are this hard!"
Everyone present attacked, shattering several treasures without harming the King Body in the slightest. It was like an indestructible vajra body.
"Let me!" Pang Bo stepped forward, offering up a few stone nails. With a "pu pu" sound, they pierced the ancient corpse. The king's blood, still retaining its spiritual nature, gushed out.
"Bang"
Finally, the old Imperial Lord's body fell. Everyone was glad he hadn't become fully sentient and was still in a daze; otherwise, they would have been in danger.
"Such powerful and mysterious stone nails!" Ji Haoyue was greatly astonished.
These stone nails had a significant origin. They were nails from a coffin made of the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree, which Ye Fan had given to Pang Bo, who treasured them.
Though merely coffin nails, they were forged by a being that the Ten Thousand Primeval Clans considered surpassing the gods, possessing incredible power.
"Immortal Emperor—I wonder how powerful he truly was. Even the stone nails from his coffin are this terrifying..."
Over the next half month, Ye Fan carefully observed the Immortal Transformation Pool and the dragon lair, drawing countless Source Heaven patterns.
Using Source Arts to deduce, he densely inscribed patterns on the ground ten miles away. The Source Heaven patterns were like stars, countless in number.
"I calculate that in about ten more days, this place will fully manifest in the world, and 'Immortals Do Not Cross' will become passable."
"Excellent! In another half month, we'll have a great harvest!"
"Be extremely careful. Even though this place is appearing on its own, there are only eight paths of life, spreading in eight directions." Ye Fan warned solemnly.
After so many days of calculation, Ye Fan's heart pounded. The last ten miles held deadly killing intent. Any Imperial Lord who entered would turn into pus and blood.
"You must remember this carefully!" He drew a map on the ground, marking eight routes leading to the central Immortal Pool and dragon lair.
In the following ten-plus days, Ye Fan exhausted his energy, laying down countless resentment patterns, incorporating the terrain of this area.
"When it truly manifests, other strong practitioners will surely enter. We can only seize the first-mover advantage."
There were only eight paths of life to cross. They happened to be eight people, so they decided each would take a different path to gain the upper hand and contend with later arrivals for heavenly fortune.
"Indeed, people are coming!"
Time passed quickly. The mist of the ninety-mile ascension path dissipated, and someone discovered this place. The news spread immediately.
Two days later, the final ten-mile heavenly moat underwent a change. The killing intent weakened, making it possible to traverse.
"Don't act rashly. Wait another half day!" Ye Fan stopped the others.
Others had also arrived. Many charged forward, but before they could even grunt, they were instantly purified into nothing.
"Go!"
Ye Fan judged the time was right. The eight of them moved separately, each choosing a path of life and advancing swiftly.
Every step they took was carefully planned. They had rehearsed countless times beforehand, memorizing every landing point.
These ten miles were unique. With only eight paths of life now, no one dared to be careless, fearing they might take the wrong route.
"Aiya"
On one path, Ji Ziyue let out a startled cry. Ji Haoyue, on an adjacent path, was alarmed but then breathed a sigh of relief. It was the Saint Lord of the Ji Family, who had followed his sister's steps.
"Retreat quickly. Don't come in here—it's too dangerous." The Ji Family Saint Lord said, pointing a finger at Ji Ziyue's brow and extracting a route map.
"That old fox must have been here for a while!" Ye Fan muttered to himself on another path.
"Family Head, take me in with you." Ji Ziyue pouted, shaking the family head's arm, refusing to let go.
"Many people will die here today. You need to retreat." The Ji Family Saint Lord waved his sleeve, tossing her to a safe landing point.
Ji Ziyue wrinkled her delicate nose, then turned and ran, chasing after Ye Fan's path and following him in.
In the distance, the heads of the Jiang Family, Yaoguang, and Wind Clan holy lands appeared, along with many experts. Among them was Ouyang Ye, who was infinitely close to the level of a Source Heaven Master.
On the other side, the Hundred Schools of Thought of the Central Province, the four Immortal Divine Dynasties, and various sect masters appeared, accompanied by dragon-seeking earth masters.
The world was not without extraordinary people. After their deductions, they followed the eight paths Ye Fan had pointed out, with many strong practitioners trailing behind.
"Rustle rustle"
Monastic robes fluttered. A group of old monks appeared. Several had multiple rings of Buddha light behind their heads, divine halos enveloping their bodies. They looked compassionate, with faces marked by suffering—clearly top-tier experts.
On the eastern path, a young man appeared, riding a golden ancient war chariot. He was majestic, with black hair flowing over his shoulders. Wang Teng had arrived.
He had cultivated the Martial Dao Heavenly Eye. His dark pupils shot out two beams of light, locking onto Jiang Huairen's back. Radiant with ten thousand feet of light, he pursued.
"Bang"
The golden ancient war chariot grazed Jiang Huairen's head, leaving him disheveled. He nearly cursed aloud, but seeing it was the Northern Emperor, he held back for now.
"Damn it, Wang Teng, do you really think you're the Heavenly Emperor? Just wait and see."
On the golden ancient war chariot, Wang Chong stood beside his brother. He looked back with a disdainful sneer and said, "When we get in, don't let me see you guys. Get as far away as possible. That kid who caused us trouble in Qin City was definitely Ye Fan. This time, my big brother's true body is here. Tell him to wash his neck and wait for the slaughter."