Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 426: Chapter 431: Re-entering the Huge Bronze Coffin

The nine sacred mountains stood majestic and profound. Ancient trees towered above them, and strange rocks rose abruptly. The sight could be called magnificent.

They were not particularly tall, but their grandeur exuded an endless pressure, as if the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands lay before you.

When Ye Fan arrived at the foot of the mountains, his body was emaciated, and he could barely support himself. Looking up, he felt chilled to the bone; the cold gazes and intimidating silhouettes made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

A few figures stood shoulder to shoulder on the mountain peaks. Some had hair as white as snow, others as black as waterfalls. As the mountain wind blew, their hair flew chaotically. Their eyes were cold as they looked down without any emotional fluctuation, infinitely indifferent.

What kind of place is this? The Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land!

Creatures of flesh and blood simply could not endure here. Even the divine armor of ancient sages could not withstand the erosion and would automatically fly away, unwilling to venture deeper.

No one could linger here for long. It was unknown how many unparalleled experts had been buried here since ancient times. Even flourishing Sacred Lands were extinguished upon entering, becoming mere ash.

A chill shot through Ye Fan’s heart. He knew they could not possibly be human; they were the terrible and mysterious Desolate Slaves, unparalleled heroes from ages past.

Silently, a woman’s figure appeared beside the others. She had bright eyes and white teeth, and her neck was delicate, like a lotus emerging from water—stunning and unmatched in beauty.

She was dressed in white, her clothes fluttering in the mountain wind, resembling a cold fairy about to ride the wind. Transcendent and flawless, she seemed like a figure from a painting.

Celestial Jade Sacred Lady!

Ye Fan was awestruck. He had encountered this woman last time and almost lost his life. She was the most beautiful woman of the Eastern Wastelands six thousand years ago and also a fellow disciple of the old madman.

The five figures stood side by side, each with an extraordinary presence. Only those of astounding talent could become Desolate Slaves. They were not of the same era, but all had undoubtedly once dominated the world.

Perhaps some among them could be found recorded in Ancient Books, very likely supremely talented individuals who had once stirred the world and commanded storms on the continent.

Ye Fan sighed deeply. He had used all his means to finally approach the sacred mountains, never expecting to encounter such stunning Desolate Slaves. How can I possibly contend with them? Does heaven want to end me?!

It was said that Desolate Slaves rarely appeared, sometimes remaining unseen for hundreds of years after emerging from the Abyss, yet now five had appeared at once.

Ye Fan felt a surge of helplessness. He had approached the Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land three times and twice encountered extraordinary Desolate Slaves. His misfortune was truly sky-high.

At this moment, he had aged beyond recognition. Though his Stone Clothes and Heaven Covering Treasure Robe were unbroken, they could no longer ward off the erosion of time.

The Qilin Seed had long since wilted. Ye Fan had extracted endless Life Qi from it to sustain himself, but it could not last much longer.

The Divine Medicine Seeds and his own flesh were his greatest trump cards. He had barely managed to ascend the sacred mountains, but now such a drastic change had occurred.

SWOOSH!

A figure, feet not touching the ground, drifted down from the sacred mountains like a ghost, heading straight for Ye Fan. A terrifying aura pressed down on him, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.

BUZZ!

At the crucial moment, the Golden Blood Qi of his sacred body boiled. Even though his physical form was aged, it possessed endless potential, as if innately resisting the power of Desolation.

Ye Fan mustered his spirit and sprinted like the wind toward another sacred mountain. He did not choose to leave, for in his current state, he feared he would die of old age, becoming mere dust before he could even depart the Forbidden Land.

The figure was a middle-aged man with hair as white as snow, heroic and imposing, with an air of unrivaled might and dominance over the world. He was clearly an earth-shattering figure from past years.

In almost the blink of an eye, he blocked Ye Fan’s path. However, he did not strike, instead staring unblinkingly at Ye Fan’s Wheel and Sea.

Ye Fan’s heart pounded violently, as if targeted by an ancient Wild Beast. He felt as if all his Blood Qi was about to evaporate and his body was on the verge of cracking open.

How powerful must this individual be?

Even though he was in such a poor condition, with his flesh dry and form declined, as a sacred body, he still felt such an intense sensation!

The white-haired man stepped forward, steadily and firmly. Each step seemed capable of shattering the mountains and the earth. Ye Fan saw the Heaven Covering Treasure Robe directly crack, and the Stone Clothes disintegrated into dust.

Supremely terrifying!

This middle-aged man was majestic, seemingly capable of commanding the heavens and earth. He advanced calmly, like a Great Mountain pressing down on Ye Fan, threatening to crush him.

Ye Fan let out a great shout. Golden Blood Qi surged out, circling around him as the potential of his Immortal Holy Body surged, resisting the catastrophe.

At the same time, his expression became solemn as he began chanting a strange scripture. It resonated through the world like descending thunder, shaking the ancient woods until their leaves flew chaotically.

He channeled his sacred body’s Golden Blood Qi into the shout, which manifested not as sound, but as a pure vibration. This was his final trump card he could actively employ: the ancient scripture comprising hundreds of words from the ancient bronze coffin.

From the past until now, he had never understood it. Now, as he shouted it, it did not turn into sound but rather a peculiar vibration.

This scripture did not exist in the world. Whether written or chanted, it could not truly manifest, and outsiders could not comprehend it.

Suddenly, the same scripture echoed from the mountainside not far away. It was louder than his, overwhelming the heavens and earth, seeming to expound the ultimate truths of the Dao.

The Heavenly Sound was like thunder, yet only Ye Fan could hear it clearly. It was identical to his scripture and transformed into a form of heavenly majesty that others could not understand.

Ye Fan disregarded all else, rushing towards the mountainside, regardless of whether the white-haired man followed. His mind was fixated only on that ancient coffin.

At this moment, his consciousness was somewhat blurred. He felt he might collapse at any moment and could not care about anything else.

In the ancient forest on the mountainside, a huge ancient bronze coffin lay quietly, exuding a sense of antiquity and timelessness, seemingly bridging the ancient past.

The bronze coffin was tipped over, its lid having slid aside. Ye Fan staggered forward and collapsed into it, unable to hold on any longer.

Am I going to die? No, I must not die!

He clutched the Qilin Divine Medicine Seed in his arms. The last bit of his Blood Qi seeped out, drawing Life Qi into his body. He gritted his teeth, trying to prevent himself from slipping into unconsciousness.

But his state was too dire. Even with an iron-like will, he could not endure. The Dao Injuries ruptured, expanding rapidly, and he nearly perished on the spot.

Ye Fan finally fainted. The fissures of the Great Dao deepened, and his spirit and body could no longer bear the strain; he collapsed within the ancient coffin.

After more than five years, nearly six years had passed. He re-entered the huge bronze coffin. His journey to this world had begun because of it, and now he returned to it.

The bronze coffin traversed the Starry Sky, its origin unknown, its destination uncertain, filled with too many secrets.

An unknown amount of time passed before Ye Fan finally awoke. The Dao Heavenly Sound had long ceased. An absolute tranquility reigned, without a hint of sound.

Within the coffin, there was no power of Desolation, so time could no longer strip away his life. Ye Fan knew he had bet correctly; the hundreds of words from the ancient scripture had stirred the ancient coffin.

Before entering the Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land, he had made all sorts of assumptions. Since even the Desolation itself seemed to fear the ancient coffin, having pushed it out of the Abyss, then the coffin surely feared no such aura.

At the moment of life and death, his choice had been correct. He had resonated with the coffin’s Heavenly Sound as he entered this place, allowing him to escape a calamity.

Although time no longer eroded him, his condition was at its absolute worst. His Dao Injury had worsened, and his Life Origin was almost split in two.

At this moment, his body was aged, his flesh and blood dried up. He was nearly exhausted, on the verge of death, ready to reach life’s end at any moment.

If not for the Qilin Divine Medicine Seed in his possession, he would have turned into a pile of bones by now. The Purple Qilin, no larger than a baby’s fist, was dim and almost completely shriveled.

This was a luxurious indulgence, drawing life from the Undying Divine Medicine Seed to resist the ravages of time. In all the world, perhaps only he had ever done such a thing.

Even a supreme Emperor wearing the divine armor of ancient sages could not approach the sacred mountains. Ye Fan, though his physical body was unmatched, could hardly have reached this place and survived until now without this seed.

This was the rarest holy divine relic in the world!

Don’t wither… Ye Fan felt a pang of guilt. The Undying Divine Medicine was unique in the world; if it died, it could never appear again.

All was silent. As he looked outside, he saw neither the white-haired man nor the figures of the others.

Does this ancient coffin truly restrain them?

Though not dead, Ye Fan’s lifespan had withered. He was only extending his life using the Qilin Seed, while the dreadful Dao Injury threatened to seize his life at any moment.

I’m trapped here. How can I reach the mountaintop? He felt powerless to ascend. As soon as he exited the bronze coffin, he wouldn’t be able to resist the aura of Desolation.

No, I must go up! There’s no time to delay, or I’ll surely die here! Ye Fan felt a surge of anxiety.

If he had sufficient divine energy, he could carry the bronze coffin up to resist the assault of time, but now even walking was problematic for him.

What should I do? The Qilin Seed is shriveled, and it’s difficult to extract Life Qi. How can I ascend? Ye Fan had never felt so helpless.

Death was so near to him. Maybe before dusk, he would be gone, his life withered, making it difficult to continue living.

Ye Fan struggled to stand up. Looking out over the ancient forest, he saw nine colossal dragon corpses lying like sections of the Great Wall of China. They were still uncorrupted, shining with a dark light, filled with a sense of power that caused one to tremble involuntarily.

“Are these True Dragons?!” His voice trembled as he spoke. The nine bodies looked identical to True Dragons, their presence as imposing as the heavens. Yet, after experiencing so much, he doubted the existence of such celestial beings.

Perhaps they are just Flood Dragons that evolved to their ultimate realm.

Ye Fan gritted his teeth. Clutching the Qilin Seed, he rushed out towards the enormous, scale-armored dragon corpses, intending to drink Dragon Blood to sustain his life.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as if Ye Fan’s fingers were striking divine iron; he couldn’t cut through. His injuries were too severe. Despite several attempts, he couldn’t even budge a single Dragon Scale, and the terrifying Dao Injury made standing nearly impossible.

He used all his means but couldn’t break through the dragon corpses. His body aged further, and he almost collapsed backward to the ground. Ye Fan exhausted his last bit of strength and barely managed to return to the bronze coffin, where he fell to the ground, unable to move.

Am I really going to die?

Ye Fan felt a wave of sorrow. He was far from his homeland, on the other side of the Starry Sky, in Paramita, dying in an unknown place. No family or friends would ever know. It was too desolate.

If I die like this, who will shed a tear for me?

He couldn’t even send out a message. Ten years, a hundred years later, only a skeleton would remain here. If some brilliant figure were to come here, they would only sigh at the sight.

Ye Fan truly didn’t want to die like this. He murmured to himself, What trump cards do I have left to play?

He searched all over himself: the Golden Dao Scripture, the silver Heavenly Source Book, the Bodhi seed… All were precious items, yet besides the shriveled Qilin Seed, none could save his life now.

DING!

Suddenly, a crisp sound came. A transparent little stone fell to the ground. It was only about a finger joint in size, flowing with seven-colored light, very crystalline and beautiful.

Little pitiful girl… Seeing this small stone, Ye Fan immediately thought of the mysterious, pitiful little girl.

His heart stirred. He placed the Seven-Colored Little Stone into his palm, treating it like a divine medicine to extract its vital energy. SWISH! A seven-colored light entered his body.

This is… Ye Fan was startled. He felt a sense of comfort spreading throughout his body and had gained considerable strength.

He could hardly believe it. What kind of stone was this, containing such pure Life Essence Qi? He continued to extract it, and streams of seven-colored light flowed into his body.

Ye Fan finally sat up, having recovered some strength. He gazed incredulously at the small stone. It wasn’t an Undying Divine Medicine, yet it possessed potent Life Qi.

Pitiful little girl… Ye Fan never expected that at this critical moment, the small stone given to him by the pitiful little girl would save his life. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have had the strength to stand up.