A red mist lingered and drifted slowly, thick with the stench of blood. The forest was choked with thorny brambles. Amid the chaotic rocks and undergrowth, corpses lay strewn across the ground, some pierced through, others torn apart, all of them dead with their eyes wide open in agony.
The vast mountain forest was utterly silent, deathly still. The old madman's prophecy had come true. Everywhere Ye Fan looked, there were bones and blood. Everyone was dead. The ground was soaked red with blood.
"They're all dead…" the old man muttered to himself.
"You're wrong. At least the two of us are still alive." Ye Fan was still shaken. Not long ago, he had personally witnessed the massacre of cultivators by over a dozen desolate beasts. It was pure slaughter, no one could resist.
In that moment, Ye Fan had thought he would die too. Even the mighty elders of the Radiant Light Sacred Ground and the Jiang Clan were helpless before those beasts. What stunned him most was that the mad old man stood there dumbly, grinning like a fool, and the beasts all avoided him entirely.
"Wuuuuu…" The old man suddenly burst into tears, his cloudy eyes spilling tears down his wrinkled cheeks. He tore at his wild white hair.
"Try to let go, old man. You've survived more than six thousand years, what could still be holding you back?"
The old madman cried bitterly to the sky, beating his chest and stomping his feet, then began to drift like a ghost through the forest. He never once looked at Ye Fan, lost entirely in his own world.
Ye Fan stuck close to his side, afraid the beasts might return. The madman wandered like a lost soul, eventually climbing a rocky hill. He gazed toward the Forbidden Ancient Realm, unmoving for a long time, like a statue. He stood there all night, never blinking, until the first rays of dawn finally lit the sky.
"The curtain has fallen. They're all gone. All dispersed. I'll come see you again someday…" the old man sobbed loudly three times, then smiled foolishly and descended the hill.
As the madman began to stride forward, Ye Fan was startled. Each of his steps spanned several miles, it was true "shrinking the earth into inches." If Ye Fan hadn't been gripping his arm tightly, he would've been left behind instantly.
"Dao Runes!" Ye Fan gasped. Every one of the old man's footsteps left behind mysterious traces, natural Dao markings infused with a profound rhythm of the Dao.
Ye Fan was shaken to his core. The old man's accomplishments were unimaginable. Every casual movement contained Dao resonance. With no effort, he left behind traces of profound enlightenment. His realm was unfathomable.
"Legend says Dao markings were impressions left behind by ancient mighty figures after they gained insight into the heavens and nature. They're spiritual imprints of their enlightenment. But this old man leaves Dao Runes with every step… he must be comparable to an ancient supreme giant. No wonder even the terrifying beasts that could slaughter Sacred Ground elders avoided him like the plague," Ye Fan thought, shocked, focusing all his attention on memorizing the footprints.
He practically clung to the madman, staring intently at the ground, memorizing every mark. The Dao Runes would flash for only an instant before vanishing.
However, the Runes were all identical, each footprint bore the same mark. Ye Fan memorized it completely by the time they left the blood-soaked forest behind.
From the distant mountains, many cultivators were peering toward the forest's depths, but none dared to enter. These cautious observers had stayed on the outskirts the day before, avoiding the massacre. Had they entered, they too would be lying among the corpses now.
Ye Fan looked back. It felt like a lifetime had passed. Only he and the madman had walked out alive. No one could remain calm after something like that.
The old man flicked his tattered sleeve, sending Ye Fan flying several meters away, he clearly intended to leave.
"Please wait, elder. I wish to follow you and learn from your wisdom," Ye Fan quickly caught up.
The madman seemed to come to his senses, stared at him with confusion, and asked, "Who are you?"
"I…"
"I shouldn't exist in this world. Do you want to turn to dust alongside me?" he said. Then with a wave of his sleeve, he disappeared.
Ye Fan stood there for a while, then chose a different route to leave the mountain range.
When he returned outside the mountains, he saw Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, and Wang Ziwen with their respective sect elders. They had never entered the forest's depths.
Soon, news of the massacre spread, shaking the entire Eastern Wilderness.
"Near the Forbidden Ancient Realm, a mighty being of the demon race is about to awaken. Countless terrifying beasts guard the area. No one who enters survives. It's even more terrifying than the Demon Emperor's tomb, a true slaughterhouse."
The rumor spread quickly, making every human cultivator in the Eastern Wilderness uneasy. Some even claimed that the heart that flew out from the Demon Emperor's tomb two years ago had been claimed by a demon race powerhouse, an heir to the Demon Emperor would soon appear.
Half a month later, the Radiant Light Sacred Ground and the Jiang Clan sent more powerful figures to the area. It was rumored that a Grand Elder of Radiant Light and a younger Patriarch of the Jiang Clan arrived together. The town once again became a gathering place for giants.
Ye Fan did not leave. He stayed outside the mountain range, unwilling to give up. He hoped to go back in once things settled down.
For the next ten days, powerful cultivators entered the mountains daily, but none returned. Not until the two great figures from Radiant Light and Jiang went in personally did people think answers might finally be found.
After a full day and night, the two men returned pale-faced. Then, another shocking piece of news rocked the Eastern Wilderness, they had activated celestial vision and glimpsed a massive bronze coffin hovering above the Forbidden Ancient's abyss.
Apparently, the terrifying beasts wanted to break into the Forbidden Ancient Realm and take the coffin, temporarily sealing off the outer region.
Ye Fan was stunned when he heard this. Others didn't know what the bronze coffin was, but he did, clearly.
"Didn't it fall into the abyss? How did it appear again?"
Half a month later, more news came: the powerful beasts finally attacked, but were utterly defeated. Seven of them went in, not one came back alive.
Eventually, the beasts abandoned their siege of the Forbidden Ancient and scattered. The Eastern Wilderness boiled with speculation. A bronze coffin had appeared in the Forbidden Ancient Realm, triggering the nerves of every great power. But no Sacred Land or ancient Clan dared make a move. The failure of the demon race giants had warned them all.
A month later, Radiant Light, Jiang, and Ji, the three superpowers, joined forces to try entering this Forbidden Burial Ground again.
This time, many cultivators came too, but most just came to watch. Few dared to actually go in. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen.
"Ye Fan? Is that you?" A stunning woman looked surprised to see him. She was tall and graceful, curvaceous and alluring, with a devil's body and a fairy's face. Her phoenix eyes tilted upward slightly, giving her an exotic, irresistible charm.
"Lin Jia!" Ye Fan was also surprised. He hadn't expected her to spot him. In fact, he had already known that Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and Li Xiaoman were in the nearby town. With the three great powers working together, they had likely summoned the group to question them again.
Several powerful riders rushed over, hearing the commotion.
"He's my friend. Don't misunderstand!" Lin Jia called out, and the soldiers halted at a distance.
"They're with the Radiant Light Sacred Ground," she explained. "When we travel, someone is always assigned to guard us." Then she shook her head and said, "It's all sect matters, you wouldn't understand. The Eastern Wilderness's cultivation world is in chaos."
She glanced at Ye Fan. "What are you doing here? How have you been these past three years?"
Ye Fan smiled. "I'm doing well. Everything's gone smoothly."
"If you're in trouble, tell me, I might be able to help."
"No trouble, for now. But I do want to congratulate Granny Lin on regaining her youth and becoming beautiful again."
"Do you want a beating?" Lin Jia rolled her eyes, then chuckled flirtatiously. "Seems like the past three years have treated you better than I imagined." Then she sighed. "Time flies. It's been three years already. I really miss the past."
"Maybe someday, we'll go back."
"Hardly a chance." Her voice lowered. "If you're ever in trouble, come find me at Red Mist Grotto-Heaven. But now, you need to get out of here."
"Why?"
"I have no choice. I'm going back into the Forbidden Ancient. If they find out you've consumed the Sacred Fruit, you'll be in danger too. Leave now, quickly."
Ye Fan didn't argue. He nodded. "Take care of yourself."
But trouble came anyway. Just fifteen minutes later, Ye Fan was silently surrounded in the mountains by over a dozen soldiers. The old leader radiated such terrifying power that Ye Fan dared not resist.
"I know why you're here. Fine. I'll go with you." Ye Fan remained calm.
He was taken back to the town but didn't see Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Li Xiaoman, or the others. The Sacred Ground had learned that he'd consumed a Sacred Fruit and disguised him as a soldier, planning to use him to gather divine medicine when the time came.
"With your physique, you'll definitely withstand the curse. If you bring back sacred medicine, the Sacred Ground will reward you," the old knight warned, his eyes flashing.
"I understand," Ye Fan replied calmly, though inwardly he sneered. Once they entered the Forbidden Ancient, who would use whom was still uncertain.
Five days later, the Radiant Light Sacred Ground, the Jiang Clan, and the Ji Clan once again set out toward the deep mountains. From afar, Ye Fan saw Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Zhang Ziling, and Liu Yiyi. They had all been brought along.
But Ye Fan, clad in divine iron armor and mounted on a beast, wasn't recognized.
This time, no terrible beasts blocked the way. The three factions reached the border of the Forbidden Ancient Realm without incident.
Several radiant carriages floated in the sky but didn't go further. The top figures planned to stay behind as backup, they dared not take the risk themselves. The Forbidden Ancient affected the most powerful cultivators the worst, even stripping them of their cultivation.
As Ye Fan stepped into the Forbidden Land once again, his heart surged. Maybe his destined opportunity was about to arrive. He also thought of the bronze coffin, why had it left the abyss and appeared on the sacred mountain?
"We must obtain the sacred medicine." The great figures transmitted their voices from the sky. The carriages shimmered with divine radiance.