Chapter 2545: Elder of the Human Race

Great Sun Forbidden Zone.

The determined youth paid countless prices, endured countless hardships, finally passed through layer upon layer of killing formations, arrived at the center of the forbidden zone, pushed aside the thick twilight mist, and finally saw a small pond.

"Immortal medicine!"

"Immortal medicine from ancient mythology!"

Ye Xian let out a low, hoarse cry.

Here, it was utterly silent, not a whisper of wind, time flowing here seemed to have become viscous and calm, lacking the liveliness of present-day time.

Here, at the heart of the forbidden land, he had shattered countless spaces and temporal turbulences, relying on a secret treasure and fortune, luckily arrived here; thinking back now, the process made him break out in cold sweat, unwilling to recall a second time.

"All heavenly treasures and earthly riches must have a guardian beast—"

Ye Xian held his breath.

He wanted to carefully plan, but it was already too late.

Originally severely wounded, his heart pierced by the immortal divine fire of the True Phoenix clan, relying on a secret technique to seal it, merely delaying death; now his whole body was covered in wounds, as if sliced by a thousand blades, the phoenix divine fire had already permeated his body, even seeping into his soul, only one step from death.

"If,"

"Heaven's mandate does not abandon me—"

Ye Xian let out a low roar.

He bent down, disregarded any risk, and lunged into the pond beneath him.

Cold.

This was the first sensation.

Piercing cold, like cold seeping into the soul, making one almost freeze, lose sensation in the skin; after a long while Ye Xian recovered somewhat, exerted himself, and swam hard toward the pond's center.

Unexpectedly, the pond was not large; with vigorous swimming he quickly reached the center.

A quietly blooming lotus shadow entered Ye Xian's field of vision.

His body shuddered violently, he stood dazed.

That lotus platform seemed to stand amidst time and chaos, surrounded by countless rules; upon it twelve tender leaves unfurled, some sprouted buds, some just showed bumps, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, across eternal ages, with the primordial source of the Dao sinking and floating.

Merely being beside this immortal medicine, Ye Xian felt himself about to transcend the Dao, to feather and ascend.

The intense pain in his body reminded him, making him stagger forward, extend his hand, toward the largest tender leaf, wanting to pluck it.

At the moment of contact.

Boom—

As if thunder, heavenly thunder descended, startling the mundane world!

Moreover, a faint sword hum came, mingled in the wind, like a whisper, saying something; listening closely, yet hearing nothing.

Ye Xian's body turned black, his body swayed, he lost consciousness.

In the final moment, he used his last strength, shoved the tender leaf in his hand into his mouth, then lost all consciousness, his entire body ignited by the phoenix divine fire, like oil-soaked firewood, flames blazing fiercely, turning him into a soaring torch.

Unknown how long passed.

Ye Xian awoke from unconsciousness.

—

His body felt better than ever before.

This was Ye Xian's first thought.

Within his body, unprecedented power surged, his bones rang like ancient divine swords, emitting a will of destruction and annihilation, his blood surged like magma, upon that deep crimson magma burned flames resembling the immortal phoenix divine fire, the divine fire of the phoenix immortal clan was seized.

This is his physique, the Hundred-Forged Steel Body!

This physique is ordinary and unremarkable, compared to the famed celestial bodies, divine bodies, Dao bodies across the starry sky, it is too mundane, incomparable; in the early stages of cultivation it is extremely difficult, meridians clogged like iron, unable to circulate magic power, hence also called the "wasted body"; since ancient times, beings with this physique are destined to find it hard to enter the Dao.

But Ye Xian achieved it.

He endured great peril, gained great fortune, thus stepped onto the Dao, discovered the mystery of this wasted body: in blood battles he can devour enemies' blood, divine abilities, treasures, finally smelt them into himself, through countless hammerings and refinings, ultimately forming a body of hundred-forged myriad-refinings, plus many more mysteries.

Each bodily refinement is a near-death experience, even ten deaths with no life.

This time, he again luckily survived, the Dao advanced greatly!

Boom—

Suddenly, the surrounding heaven and earth trembled, lightning flashed and thunder roared, heaven and earth seemed enraged, in an instant killing intent filled the surroundings, tranquility and harmony vanished in a moment.

"Not good!"

Ye Xian's expression changed drastically.

Having endured countless hardships, his keen instinct immediately sensed the danger here, he was about to flee, his steps paused slightly when passing the immortal medicine.

"Yao'er is likewise severely wounded, near death—"

Ye Xian hesitated somewhat.

He wanted to pluck another leaf of immortal medicine for his friend to take.

But before this thought fully formed, a great terror, a great crisis, like facing an inevitable death abyss, erupted in his soul.

Ye Xian's heart chilled slightly, he instantly abandoned the idea, burned his magic power and blood qi, madly fled outward, soon disappearing among spatial fragments.

After he left, this place in the forbidden land gradually returned to calm.

Everything returned to normal, silent, dead still, time flowing here seemed to have congealed.

By the pond, on the barren slope, a youth in blue robes silently watched everything, watched the determined youth pluck a tender leaf of immortal medicine.

"Truly intense greed, ambition—"

"The younger generation is to be feared."

Jiang Ding said lightly.

He never entrusts the future to any one person, especially not to a junior's morality.

Previously, he had struck with a sword, the End-Time Dao giving rise to cause-and-effect sword path, cutting into that determined youth's soul essence, with his instinctive voluntary cooperation, forming an extremely tight causal bond; the future will require repayment of hundreds or thousands of times for all of today.

If this youth called Ye Xian can rise.

This rise is not about sweeping across a region, not about establishing an immortal dynasty, not about invincibility in the starry void—these are trivial to the Forbidden Zone Ancient Emperor.

This rise has only one answer: to become the Great Emperor of the present age in the Golden Great Era.

Otherwise, it is meaningless.

The investment risk involved can thus be imagined; a return rate of thousands of times is not too much to ask, for Tai Shang Da Ri Gu Huang is a benevolent elder and will not be overly harsh on junior cultivators.

This young human junior, guided by the human heavenly Dao, came here; as a senior, he offered some assistance.

Such events are occurring everywhere in Wu Jin Kong Kong—Tai Yang Gu Huang, Qingfeng Beidou, Jiu Ye Jian Huang, Bu Si Gu Huang, Tai Yin Gu Huang, and others have taken similar actions; no one can know who will be the Great Emperor of the future Golden Great Era, only probabilities can be calculated, and ultimately, success depends on one's vision and fortune.

"Speaking of which, I do have some insights in education and nurturing talent."

"This junior's success rate should be around one in a thousand—he is quite an outstanding junior; I hope to see him again in the Golden Great Era."

Jiang Ding slowly sank into sleep.