Shrouded Sky

Chapter 109 - The Depths of Forbidden Ancient

In the deepest part of the Forbidden Ancient Realm, nine sacred mountains were connected, encircling a vast abyss. The abyss was pitch-black, so deep it seemed bottomless.

At this moment, one of the majestic and towering sacred mountains stood silent. Lush vegetation covered its slopes, vibrant and verdant. At the center of the flat mountaintop was a small spring pool, roughly two meters square. The spring bubbled gently, exuding faint glimmers of crystalline light, as if it were formed from divine nectar. Within this tiny pool lay a figure, but it resembled a withered corpse, its flesh shriveled, skin dull and gray, nearly cracking, clinging tightly to the bones.

“I’m not dead…” The moment Ye Fan plunged into the spring pool, he regained consciousness. The water contained dense life essence, halting the aging of his body.

His vitality was nearly depleted; his organs had shriveled, and his flesh seemed desiccated, as if it had been wind-dried for centuries. Now, immersed in the spring, his body began rapidly absorbing the life essence, like a parched desert greedily drinking in a sudden downpour.

Lying on his back in the two-meter-square pool, Ye Fan felt his throat cracked and parched, his lips reduced to a mere layer of skin. With difficulty, he turned his head and began to drink deeply.

The spring water was sweet, carrying a faint fragrance that moistened his cracked lips and throat. Like divine nectar, it left a lingering aftertaste, and a surge of strength gradually returned to his body.

Ye Fan gulped down the water, and his dried-up vitality began to spark with faint traces of life. His withered flesh slowly regained vigor, and his shriveled organs were gradually nourished by the life essence.

He knew he had escaped danger and survived. Immersed in the divine spring, the demonic forces of the Forbidden Ancient Realm could no longer age him. For a full quarter of an hour, he drank countless mouthfuls until his stomach was completely full, unable to take in any more.

Lying still in the pool, Ye Fan gazed at the clear blue sky and let out a long breath. Having survived such an ordeal, with his vitality slowly returning, he felt an immense sense of relief.

He remained there for half an hour, feeling his life force steadily strengthening. Only then did he move his frail arms. His shriveled flesh had regained some fullness, his vitality was recovering, and his heartbeat grew stronger.

At this point, his five senses began to return. His body felt deeply soothed as the spring water enveloped him, with abundant life essence seeping through his pores into his limbs and bones. “Being alive is truly wonderful…” A satisfied expression spread across Ye Fan’s face. Not long ago, his life’s flame had nearly been extinguished, and surviving felt like the greatest gift from the heavens.

“When people are comfortable and successful, they’re never satisfied. Only when they’ve reached the end of their rope and experienced endless despair do they realize that simply living a plain life is a form of happiness.” Lying there, gazing at the sky, Ye Fan’s face was filled with a radiant smile as his vitality slowly recovered.

His flesh and organs were being nourished, his pulse grew stronger, and his skin began to smooth out, regaining some luster. Ye Fan finally felt a surge of robust strength, no longer exhausted. He slowly sat up. At that moment, his five senses fully awakened, and a rich, refreshing fragrance hit him, invigorating his spirit.

Surrounding the two-meter-square spring pool were eleven small trees, each just over half a meter tall. They shimmered with green light, as if carved from emerald, sparkling and translucent, a vibrant jade-green. Shaped like pine trees, their needle-like leaves clustered together, resembling divine jade essence, radiating a glowing brilliance.

Ye Fan was no longer an ordinary person. After achieving success in his cultivation, his spiritual senses had become extraordinarily sharp, allowing him to perceive things he couldn’t before.

Though the eleven trees were short, their trunks were covered in ancient bark, vigorous and powerful, twisting like coiled dragons. They seemed to have grown for tens of thousands of years, exuding an aura of absolute antiquity, as if they were living fossils rather than mere plants.

At the top of each small tree hung a single golden fruit, the size of a dragon’s eye, radiant and translucent, as if cast from pure gold, utterly extraordinary.

The emerald-green trees bearing these golden fruits created a dazzling contrast, their vibrant colors complementing each other. The fragrant aroma was intoxicating, drawing one into a state of enchantment.

After enduring countless hardships to enter the Forbidden Ancient Realm, Ye Fan had come for these sacred medicines. Now, seeing the eleven golden fruits on the eleven small trees, he felt that all his efforts had been worth it.

The Sacred Grounds and Ancient Clans had schemed for a long time, sending powerful cultivators twice, expending immense effort, forging forbidden artifacts, and even bringing a replica of the Desolate Tower. Yet, their efforts ended in annihilation, all their mighty cultivators perished, and the great powers gained nothing. But now, Ye Fan sat in the divine spring, with the sacred medicine within arm’s reach, ready to be plucked. How could he not feel satisfied and thrilled?

With a rustling sound, Ye Fan stepped out of the pool and approached the shore in two strides. He plucked a golden fruit, and its rich fragrance penetrated his organs, instantly refreshing his spirit, as if his soul were floating out of his body. “Truly a divine medicine. I wonder why it can only grow on this demonic abyss in the Forbidden Ancient Realm.”

Ye Fan placed the golden fruit in his mouth and chewed gently. The sweet taste and fragrant aroma transformed into a tangible essence, causing his pores to open instantly. His entire body felt at ease, as if bathed in a spring breeze.

The dragon’s-eye-sized golden fruit was consumed in a single bite. As it broke apart, it turned into divine nectar, sliding down his throat. Ye Fan felt as if he were ascending to the heavens, his body so light it seemed to lift off the ground, floating in a state of bliss. As a cultivator, he could no longer treat it as an ordinary fruit. He quickly sat down, leaning against the ancient tree, and began to circulate the mysterious techniques recorded in the Dao Scripture.

However, his body was still too weak, nearly decayed from aging. Though the divine spring had restored some energy, his hair remained snow-white, his face wrinkled, and his flesh shriveled. After the strange golden energy entered his body, it didn’t flow to his Sea of Bitterness or divine spring but rushed directly to his limbs and bones, nourishing his aged body and gradually restoring a crystalline glow to his flesh.

As the techniques of the Dao Scripture circulated, they accelerated the assimilation of the sacred medicine. In just half a quarter of an hour, Ye Fan’s flesh began to plump up, no longer shriveled, and grew increasingly rosy. His snow-white hair gradually turned black.

He reached out and plucked a second golden fruit, placing it in his mouth. As he chewed, the sweet pulp transformed into golden energy, rushing through his body. His skin began to shimmer with golden light, faint divine radiance rippling outward.

After another half-quarter hour, Ye Fan felt mentally invigorated, his flesh brimming with strength, radiating vibrant vitality. His skin regained elasticity. With two sacred fruits consumed, he had reversed his aged state, transforming into a man in his thirties, his body surging with vigorous energy.

Ye Fan stood up, his movements powerful and dynamic, free of any trace of frailty. He was rapidly regaining his youth. At that moment, something seemed to occur to him, and his expression changed. He dashed toward a spot a hundred meters away.

There, a golden book glowed faintly, lying quietly in the grass. It hadn’t been swept into the endless abyss with the Heavenly Jade Saintess. Ye Fan hurriedly picked it up and returned it to his Sea of Bitterness. “Thank the Heavens!”

After retrieving the Dao Scripture, Ye Fan walked back, inevitably glancing around. The sacred mountain was silent, with no skeletal remains in sight, exuding an eerie calm.

He looked into the distance and felt a chill run down his spine. On the other eight sacred mountains, countless skeletal figures were climbing up from the endless abyss. “Why is it like this? Only this mountain is free of them, completely silent.” Ye Fan’s mind raced, and he suddenly thought of the green copper fragment. “It repelled the Heavenly Jade Saintess, and she hasn’t reappeared. Could the green copper fragment possess such immense deterrence?” He was uncertain, unable to confirm his suspicion. “The Desolate Tower can suppress immortals, and the green copper is also a supreme treasure. Perhaps it does have such power.”

The green copper fragment lay silent in the spring within his Sea of Bitterness, unmoving as a rock, impossible to control or wield against enemies. Earlier, it was the Heavenly Jade Saintess who had probed his Sea of Bitterness and touched the green copper, resulting in her severe injury. The mysterious green copper was inviolable and uncontrollable, leaving Ye Fan both hopeful and frustrated.

Suddenly, Ye Fan froze. On a neighboring sacred mountain, he spotted a figure of flesh and blood. Though too far to see clearly, he was certain it wasn’t a skeleton.

At the peak of that mountain, a massive iron sword, over ten meters long, was thrust into the ground. The figure stood calmly on the sword’s hilt, a black cloak billowing in the wind. “A Desolate Slave!” Ye Fan immediately made the judgment. A true flesh-and-blood being couldn’t survive long in this place, it had to be an existence like the Heavenly Jade Saintess.

“There’s more…” After closer inspection, Ye Fan noticed another figure on a different sacred mountain, also of flesh and blood, standing at the peak. Above their head floated a silver bell, as large as a house, glowing brilliantly.

Ye Fan’s expression grew solemn as he spotted a third figure, standing on a cliff of another sacred mountain. The surrounding skeletons avoided climbing near them. Above their head hovered an ancient pagoda, nine stories tall, over ten meters high, exuding an aura capable of suppressing an entire realm. “A fourth!” He then saw a fourth Desolate Slave, standing with hands behind their back, purple robes fluttering. Above them floated a square, ancient seal, radiating an aura of grandeur and antiquity.

“What’s happening?!” Ye Fan was shocked. Every sacred mountain he could see had a figure.

Bells, pagodas, and seals were among the most difficult artifacts to forge. Those who used such weapons were typically extraordinary, and those who achieved mastery with them were bound to have unimaginable accomplishments.

“Legend has it that only peerless experts can become Desolate Slaves. These figures wielding bells, pagodas, and seals were likely earth-shaking figures in their time, perhaps even recorded in ancient history.”

Ye Fan quickly returned to the spring pool, determined to fully restore his vitality. He plucked two more golden fruits, and the golden energy flowed like gentle streams into his flesh, organs, and bones.

His body radiated dazzling light, the golden energy spilling outward, making his form shimmer like divine jade. A vibrant life force emanated from him, and his body fully recovered, glowing with a treasure-like brilliance. At this moment, Ye Fan had reverted to a youthful teenager.

He felt immense divine power, his life essence surging like roaring waves. His organs glowed with godlight, flawless and pure, his bones shimmered with radiance, and his skin sparkled with vibrant hues. He no longer resembled a mortal of flesh and blood but a deity worshipped by the masses.