Shrouded Sky

Chapter 228 - True Demon Domain

CLANG!

Flames surged from the Departing Fire God Furnace, crackling like a burning crystal mountain. The heat was overwhelming, and the furnace body continuously warped under the immense blows.

The unknown creature’s strength was monstrous, hammering the furnace until it was completely deformed and filled with bulging protrusions.

The hundred-meter-tall Departing Fire God Furnace burned brightly, turning half the sky red. It shook violently and looked like it might be toppled at any moment.

The crashing sounds didn’t stop. One moment the furnace looked like a flattened fruit, the next like a shattered teacup, bizarre and distorted.

Its terrifying strength would make anyone’s blood run cold. Even a cultivator of the Four Pillar Realm couldn’t withstand it, it was truly monstrous!

The Departing Fire Furnace was like a lump of clay, moldable in any shape, but it simply wouldn’t break.

“What kind of furnace is this, Daoist? It’s practically indestructible,” Yao Xi asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.

The furnace looked ridiculous, twisted and warped, but it didn’t shatter. That was unbelievable.

Ye Fan chuckled awkwardly and said, “I picked it up during my travels.”

The Jade Pool Saintess was thoughtful. Staring at the misshapen furnace, she said, “It resembles an imitation of the Sun God Furnace, but its power is much weaker.”

“You’re telling me this broken furnace has a big origin?” Li Desheng exclaimed.

“Its power may not compare to a Sun God Furnace replica, but in terms of durability, it far surpasses it. You can’t break this thing!” Old Blade muttered.

Standing atop the furnace lid like an immortal king, the Radiant Light Saint radiated divine light. He became the center of a brilliant radiance, suppressing the furnace completely. The unknown creature roared in fear from within, unable to break free.

“Let’s all help refine this monster quickly. This is no place to linger,” Old Blade suggested.

The five others joined in, pouring their divine energy into the furnace, which glowed brilliantly.

Though the furnace constantly shifted in shape and wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful, it absorbed the energy of all six cultivators without a crack appearing.

“ROOOAAAR!”

The desperate howls grew weaker. The furnace’s glow intensified, and the etched patterns of a sun and several divine birds on its surface began to shine.

“Eh? The engravings disappeared!” Li Desheng cried out.

The images of the sun and divine birds flared, then faded completely.

“This broken furnace really is something else,” Old Blade muttered. “The sun and divine bird seals went inside to help refine the demon.”

Everyone could feel it, the temperature spiked. Their godpower was drawn in like rivers flowing into a sea. The furnace shone like a star.

The monster’s howls eventually faded to silence. The furnace settled, and the faint patterns reappeared on its surface.

The copper furnace now looked like a multi-lobed gourd, distorted and strange. Its lid had deformed and sealed tightly. Ye Fan spent a long time opening it.

With a flip, black ash spilled out, what remained of the mighty unknown creature. It had been utterly incinerated, turned to dust. Everyone was secretly stunned.

“This thing needs serious repairs, huh?” Li Desheng chuckled. The furnace looked completely ridiculous now.

Ye Fan waved his hand, and the furnace shrank to an inch tall in his palm. Though it resembled a squashed fruit, it still gleamed with crystalline light.

“Daoist, would you be willing to part with this furnace? I’ll offer a powerful treasure in exchange,” the Radiant Light Saint asked with a warm smile as he landed.

Ye Fan shook his head. Just its indestructibility alone made it invaluable. He needed time to uncover its secrets.

Old Blade urged, “We should get moving. That creature was probably just a pawn, likely a soldier serving a terrifying entity.”

“Agreed. This area reeks of danger,” the Jade Pool Saintess added.

Living beings in the Primordial Mine are terrifying beyond belief. Surviving an encounter is near impossible. While that creature was powerful, it was nothing compared to the legends.

Ye Fan’s heart grew heavy. Something terrifying, perhaps an ancient royal race, might be slumbering beneath the earth. That monster could’ve just been a guard.

“Go, now!” The six of them took flight without delay.

Usually, only a weaker entity is left to guard such a place. If a truly powerful one awakens, or worse, an ancient overlord, then even a sacred lord would meet their end.

It was already deep into the night. After traveling just a few miles, a low growl echoed from behind, accompanied by a wave of terrifying murderous aura.

Their hearts sank. A more powerful being had awakened. Fortunately, it wasn’t pursuing them, at least not yet.

“What’s that up ahead?”

On the horizon, a vast black silhouette appeared.

“It’s ruins, a giant stretch of ruins!” A bleak, lifeless wasteland of crumbling walls and broken structures blocked their path.

“Let’s go around it.”

No one wanted to risk an encounter. Stirring anything hidden there could spell disaster.

They turned right, intending to skirt around the ruins.

Suddenly, a wave of eerie killing intent surged forth. Everyone’s backs went cold, hair standing on end.

“It followed us!” Li Desheng’s voice trembled. His face turned pale.

They looked back. Ten miles away, a figure loomed in the dark, hair matted, its height roughly that of a human. Gray hair dragged on the ground, hiding its face.

Its body was covered in hideous hair.

Its hollow eyes devoured the moonlight, strands of silver flowing into those soulless orbs through the veil of gray hair.

“What… is that thing?”

Heavy breathing echoed clearly from a mile away, matching the growls they’d heard earlier. It was the same creature.

“Run!”

This one was far more powerful than the last. Everyone instinctively felt its menace and had no will to fight.

Escape was the only option. Confrontation meant death.

The murderous aura surged like blades, pricking every inch of their skin with goosebumps.

They sprinted wildly, feet skimming the ground, appearing as six phantoms under the moonlight.

The monster roared and began pursuit, but strangely, after a few hundred meters, it stopped.

“Why did it stop?” they asked, puzzled.

“Wait, stop moving!” Ye Fan suddenly raised his hand, heart sinking.

The road ahead looked clear, but he felt uneasy, something was off.

Behind them, the terrifying creature with hair dragging on the ground watched them for a moment, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

“It left? Why didn’t it chase us?” Li Desheng was confused.

Ye Fan’s expression was grim. Using a divination method from the Source Heaven Book, he scanned the area.

“See anything, Daoist?” Li Desheng asked. He trusted Ye Fan’s insights.

“Something feels wrong,” Yao Xi said, frowning.

“There’s something strange here… extremely dangerous, with a soft yin aura,” the Radiant Light Saint added. His instincts had sensed the danger.

“Everyone, we’re in deep trouble,” Ye Fan said seriously. He hadn’t expected to encounter such terrain.

“We’re almost out of the Forbidden Burial Ground. How could it be dangerous now?” Li Desheng asked.

“It is. Extremely dangerous. This is an extremely rare terrain.”

Ye Fan pointed ahead. “Focus your senses, you’ll notice something odd.”

“A blood moon!” the Jade Pool Saintess cried.

“A bloodstained crescent moon, yin and cold!” Yao Xi echoed in shock.

“What’s the significance?” asked Old Blade.

“This is the legendary Crimson Moon Hollow. Beneath the surface lies an extreme yin demonic land,” Ye Fan explained.

The area looked calm at a glance. But upon closer inspection, strange phenomena appeared.

A blood-red crescent moon was embedded in the ground, echoing the real moon above. Celestial light flowed down into the earth and turned crimson.

That bloodstained moon radiated a chilling, yin energy. The more one gazed at it, the more their skin crawled.

“What’s under the ground?” Li Desheng asked, voice trembling.

Ye Fan didn’t answer. The Celestial Source Tome devoted several pages to the Crimson Moon Hollow, one of the most dangerous cursed lands.

“The moon above, the divine pit below, this is a demonic place.”

“That’s why the creature backed off. It was frightened by the Crimson Moon Hollow,” Old Blade concluded.

Now, everyone realized how dire the situation was. That terrifying creature they couldn’t fight had retreated, because of this land.

A blood moon etched in earth, sinister and unforgettable.

“Daoist, how do we survive this?” Li Desheng turned all his hope to Ye Fan.

“We’ll have to circle around. Thankfully, we haven’t stepped into the moon’s range yet.”

The blood moon’s influence spanned several miles. They currently stood between the ruins and the blood moon, not yet affected.

“We can’t go back. That thing’s behind us. We’ll have to edge closer to the ruins and go around,” the Radiant Light Saint said.

“Don’t move just yet. Let me take a closer look,” Ye Fan said.

Stumbling upon the Crimson Moon Hollow this close to exiting the Forbidden Burial Ground was unnerving. Something felt very wrong.

Then, Ye Fan’s expression changed. The more he observed the ruins, the more disturbed he became. His feeling was confirmed, it was the Sunfall Ridge!

Sunfall Ridge and Crimson Moon Hollow were infamous, sometimes appearing together. Their combined presence was terrifying, recorded only three times in history.

“What did you see?” someone asked.

“Something’s not right!” Ye Fan was shocked. The Sunfall Ridge should radiate intense yang energy, but something was off.

“I can sense it, a black sun of pure yang energy. But it’s suppressed by the Crimson Moon Hollow,” said the Radiant Light Saint.

“Yes, I also sensed a black sun faintly embedded in the ruins,” the Jade Pool Saintess added.

Yao Xi also sensed the black sun and asked, “What kind of terrain is this?”

“It’s the legendary Sunfall Ridge. When paired with the Crimson Moon Hollow, even gods fall, and Buddhas die,” Ye Fan said. “But something’s not right, the yang energy is weaker than expected.”

“What, Sunfall Ridge?!”

“This is that place?!”

“Could this be where Grand Emperor Eternal Universe forged his weapons?!”

The Radiant Light Saint, Yao Xi, and the Jade Pool Saintess all exclaimed in shock.

Even Old Blade was stunned. His face filled with disbelief. “The Northern Region’s Ancient Jiang Clan’s Grand Emperor, this is where he forged his ultimate weapon?!”

“Grand Emperor Eternal Universe, renowned across time, lived in the ancient ages, probably 100,000 years ago,” Li Desheng added in awe.

Ye Fan was equally stunned. A Grand Emperor had once entered the Primordial Mine and used the terrifying Sunfall Ridge to forge a Paragon Artifact?

That was beyond belief.