Chapter 109: with translation of chapter title

In the Heavenly God Forbidden Zone, one heavenly pride after another, their gazes drawn to the golden light blossoming deep within, wore expressions of astonishment. The rich Daoist principles seemed to have crossed ancient ages, drifting over.

In the boundless expanse of heaven and earth, a faint divine radiance flickered in and out; each ancient spirit herb seemed to awaken from slumber, greedily and frenziedly absorbing the rich spiritual qi of heaven and earth, striving to restore its own vitality.

A youth in black robes, seeing this scene, his steps hesitated slightly. He thought to himself: 'The Heavenly God Forbidden Zone, a legendary burial ground, drifted among the heavens since ancient times and has appeared several times within the Cangyuan Jie. Almost no one can walk out of this place alive.' He was full of doubt, having thought it merely an ordinary ancient ruin—how could it become the legendary forbidden zone?

He well knew that although this place was regarded as a deadland, it was also a land of opportunity. From ancient times to the present, according to ancient records, only three monsters have walked out of this forbidden zone.

The first, born in the ancient era when myriad races rose and humanity was still in barbaric times, he was called the Blue Emperor. He found an ancient inheritance in a burial ground, deduced his own invincible method, and finally opened up a place for humanity to settle and survive.

The second was a youth of the immortal race at the end of antiquity. He inadvertently opened this forbidden zone, drawing countless heavenly prides of myriad races to gather. As a result, innumerable beings perished here; only he obtained the supreme treasure, reforged his flesh, attained an immortal divine body, undying and indestructible, sweeping an era, and even styled himself the Shouldering-Calamity Immortal King.

The third was a human king of antiquity. When calamity befell, a vast expanse called the Heavenly Realm was born above the heavens, teeming with powerhouses, more terrifying than the three thousand worlds. The human king voluntarily entered the Heavenly God Forbidden Zone, where he fought bloody battles for three years, obtained the heavenly ladder, and led a host of human beings to storm the Heavenly Realm, thereafter separating the two realms. This is also why later human cultivators sealed themselves off, closed off the world, and refused to enter the three thousand worlds. At first, the top experts virtually all vanished into the Heavenly Realm; although many mighty beings of the myriad races also went there, the myriad races are numerous, their inheritance unbroken, and their rise faster than humanity's. This also caused the spiritual qi of the Cangyuan Jie to grow ever thinner, the heaven and earth underwent great change, and the rules became deficient. When the beings of the Heavenly Realm first descended upon human territory, a world‑shaking war erupted, leaving many worlds shattered; humanity's self‑seal was also to catch a breath. Yet no one expected that the heavenly‑earth rules would turn out so incomplete, leaving many human senior figures bewildered.

The black‑robed youth was a top‑tier true disciple of the Profound Abyss Sacred Land, deeply versed in these ancient texts, so he naturally knew some of their secrets. Thus, upon hearing the four words 'Heavenly God Forbidden Zone,' he froze on the spot. How had he unwittingly entered a deadland? Know that anyone who walks out of this place becomes an outstanding figure of an era—provided they obtain a deity's inheritance, a difficulty that is simply outrageously high.

"When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road; at the very least, the spirit‑treasure aura I sensed nearby is not weak, the worst being Earth Tier." The black‑robed youth murmured to himself, "Even if I cannot leave this place, cultivating here offers great prospects." Having offended many true disciples in the Profound Abyss Sacred Land, if he cannot become one of the Seven Holy Sons, death is his only path, so he rushed out seeking opportunity. Though this place is dangerous, treasures abound; perhaps after bitter cultivation for thousands of years he might truly get out. Thinking this, he strove to calm himself.

Suddenly, an extremely rich aura enveloped him, and a hoarse voice sounded in his ear: 'After endless ages, I never expected human cultivators to grow weaker generation after generation; you are actually the outstanding talent among this batch of cultivators. Middle‑grade Earth Tier… you barely qualify to become my servant and serve this seat.'

The black‑robed youth lifted his head and saw an utterly red blood‑colored giant flower standing in the air, killing aura surging around it, deathly still qi entwining. His face instantly turned grim, his pupils constricting sharply: 'A Heavenly Tier spirit herb? How could this be? According to the records, the last appearance of the Heavenly God Forbidden Zone was in the ancient great calamity, and over a hundred thousand years have passed since then—how could a Heavenly Tier spirit herb possibly survive so long?'

The blood‑colored giant flower slowly opened its petals, like a bloody maw, deep crimson aura spreading forth, within it exuding rich vital essence. 'No, it is not a medicine spirit but a blood spirit, which can prolong life by relying on human essence‑blood!' The black‑robed youth realized this instantly.

Spirit herbs also belong to the myriad races, but only those that have reached Earth Tier and given birth to spiritual intelligence count. Thereafter they split into two kinds: one is the blood spirit, which nourishes itself by devouring human essence‑blood, plundering cultivation, little different from other demon races; the other is the medicine spirit, which absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, aided by Daoist principles to cultivate into a spiritual body, pursuing the path of longevity and transcendence. This lineage usually chooses to follow a promising heavenly pride, growing together and supporting each other. I never expected the Heavenly God Forbidden Zone to be nurturing a blood spirit—no wonder the heavenly prides who entered this place have all perished.

"Submit, or die." The blood‑colored giant flower spoke again, terrifying pressure instantly spreading, waves of Dao principle power radiating outward and directly sealing the surrounding space. Behind it, several emaciated youths, devoid of any blood color, walked out with dull, lifeless eyes. The aura on these youths was extremely heavy, like towering mountains, each of their realms having reached the utmost.

The black‑robed youth's face changed abruptly; he instantly understood the reason: 'Following you is merely being raised by you to suck my essence‑blood. This forbidden zone stipulates that entrants of the younger generation must be under thirty years old and their cultivation may not exceed the Hua Ling Realm. Then let us fight!'

The black‑robed youth clenched his right hand in the air, and a pitch‑black long spear as dark as ink instantly appeared in his grasp, its shaft etched with faint dragon markings, exuding a fierce aura that merged with his own being. His qi and blood surged as he prepared to go all out, his realm fully opened—indeed Hua Ling Qi Chong! He thought, these human cultivators, though at the peak of Hua Ling Realm, have no essence‑blood left; perhaps I still have a chance to flee.

Those youths, deathly still as they were, bore indifferent eyes, like walking corpses. In their view, the black‑robed youth's resistance was no different from a moth flying into a flame—just seeking death. Initially they, too, were high‑spirited, and they likewise scorned these blood spirits, yet in the end all their resistance came to naught.

The hoarse voice of the blood‑colored giant flower sounded again: 'If you won't submit, then I'll capture you alive and draw your blood.'

"Boom!" The white‑clad youth, his garments torn, stepped forward a stride, clenched his right fist, and threw what seemed an ordinary punch that boomed—yet it caused the air to violently tremble, countless spiritual qi bursting forth. The black‑robed youth felt an impact like a mountain, a flash of shock crossing his deep eyes. How could this physical strength be so terrifying? The utmost strength of the Hua Ling Realm is only three hundred thousand catties, but though the opponent's essence‑blood is nearly exhausted, his physical strength has reached a terrifying double! A feeling of suffocation spread from the black‑robed youth's chest as he brandished his ink‑black long spear, trying to block the punch.

"Boom!" A dull thunderous roar came, the fist force turning into a gale that surged straight at the black‑robed youth's chest. His whole body, like a kite with its string cut, flew backward a hundred meters, heavily slamming onto the grass and dragging a long blood‑colored trace.

The black‑robed youth endured the pain, feeling that the opponent was deliberately holding back. He mobilized his spiritual qi, trying to flee, but the blood‑colored giant flower instantly landed beside him, opened its bloody maw, and a rich foul odor assailed his face.

"It seems these Heavenly Tier talents, after three thousand years, have become useless. Even Hua Ling Qi Chong cannot be severely injured by a single punch." The murmuring of the blood‑colored giant flower left the black‑robed youth terrified beyond measure. How could these few all be Heavenly Tier monstrous talents? How is that possible? This blood spirit is merely of the same Hua Ling Realm tier—how could it subdue them? Endless despair filled the black‑robed youth's heart.

Just then, he saw twenty‑odd figures appear to the side, seemingly from the Floating Light Sect and the Profound Yang Sect, and he shouted loudly, 'Flee quickly, this place is dangerous!'

Before his words had finished sounding, a blood‑colored vine lashed onto his body, intense pain striking instantly, and he fainted on the spot.

The blood‑colored giant flower turned to face the crowd, its voice spreading like rolling waves. Seeing this, Dongfang Yuan, Zhang Wu, and the others showed looks of astonishment.

"It seems the people of the Profound Abyss Sacred Land want to monopolize it!" Dongfang Yuan said.

"The aura of this spirit herb is absolutely extraordinary; at the very least it begins at Earth Tier." Zhang Wu added.

"It seems he lost and still won't let us have this treasure; the Profound Abyss Sacred Land is truly scheming!" Both thought the black‑robed youth had failed to subdue the ancient spirit herb and also didn't want us to obtain it.

At that moment, a glint of sharpness flashed in Dongfang Yuan's eyes as he cautiously looked toward Qin Yu: 'Qin… Qin Senior Brother, what if I give it a try? To scout the path for you?' At this point he no longer dared to act recklessly as before; seeing Qin Yu's earlier display of strength, he realized he was far from being a match. He consoled himself, thinking it wasn't fear of this inner‑door disciple, but respect for elders and care for the young—after all, as a senior true‑transmission disciple, he ought to look after and respect his counterpart. He eyed Qin Yu apprehensively, for this is a top‑tier spirit herb; whoever moves first gains a greater chance to obtain it. That black‑robed youth, being a top‑tier true disciple of the Profound Abyss Sacred Land, had surely already fought fiercely with this spirit herb; if he stepped forward now, he might just snag a great advantage.