Chapter 287: Die! Ancestor of Time Dao!

Ye Fan: "Let me go back! I regret it!"

Ye Fan: "I must've lost my mind to agree to push open the Three-Eras Bronze Coffin!!!"

Su Lin: "What's the panic for? I'm the one pushing open the coffin, not you. I just strapped you to my back to avoid karmic backlash—holy shit, the rate this thing drains life essence is insane, feels like being buried in a salt pile, moisture being sucked out nonstop."

Penglai Mountain Huiye: "Life essence? I have plenty of that."

Su Lin: "No thanks! My holy light! Too intense, sss—!"

Xing: "A person cannot—at least shouldn't."

Ye Fan: "It's because you're carrying me that I'm panicking! Damn it, you're getting drained dry! Next it won't be my turn, will it?!"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "We agreed to make a movie—how did this turn into a suicide contest? I've been dumbed down!"

Song Shuhang: "I just got my resurrection artifact—will it really be written off already? qaq"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "Liu Li Ge, why are you just standing there?! Don't stay so far away—this side is safe, come try!"

Han Li: "This one's cultivation is too shallow; let the others handle this."

Su Lin: "Don't be afraid! Just do it!"

Kleine: "When did you get so bold?"

If he remembered correctly, in a certain sense Su Lin was born a diviner, though occasionally he exhibited the contradictory duality of being both reckless and cowardly after scrolling online…

Su Lin: "That was actually my historical projection."

Zhang Chulan: "."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "…"

Zhong Li: "…"

Han Li: "…"

Lu Mingfei: "Cool."

Ye Fan: "I'm gonna spar with you later, you little brat! Your clone's turning into a mummy!"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "Where are the teammates?! Help out! Will we be next?!"

Song Shuhang: "Su Lin, where's your integrity?!!!"

Su Lin: "You won't even call me 'Senior'?"

Su Lin: "Relax—I slipped each of you a piece of Immortal Source, and Zhong Li's shield hasn't triggered. You're unharmed. Hold on ten more seconds—my clone's pumping life essence into you."

He was currently inside a historical fissure, wearing temporary cultivation from the Third-Generation Source Heaven Master, protecting the group with Source Arts.

He was also guarding against possible disturbances—if any other Life Forbidden Zone monarchs noticed this place through some means, he'd immediately exchange for temporary Emperor-level cultivation. Wushou's was expensive, but he could endure and buy it.

Then, if anything went wrong—beep! Emperor Card.

But if he used that card today, he'd definitely have to change his appearance and raid another Forbidden Zone to recoup losses.

A wisp of misty light drifted out from within the bronze coffin, and a grander divine voice echoed across the heavens,

"Cough—!" Qu Yanping finally collapsed, spitting blood—he had seen something horrifying, too terrified to speak.

At that moment, Su Lin messaged Ye Fan in the group chat: "Your turn to show off—you've been buffed! Go!"

Through the mark left inside Ye Fan's body, he channeled power into him. Instantly, Ye Fan, on Su Lin's back, radiated overwhelming divine authority; the surrounding space began to warp faintly.

"Where did you get the Bing Zi Secret?! What kind of cheat are you using?!" Ye Fan finally snapped—he sensed that after the divine descent, the other could now use the Bing Zi Secret from the Nine Secrets!?

That's why Su Lin had been so confident saying he could pry open even a corner of the Three-Eras Bronze Coffin—the real confidence came from this!

"The Third-Generation Source Heaven Master's surname is Cai. This is his ability—bought one, got one free." Su Lin urged: "Time-limited—move now! The camera's about to fry!"

"Couldn't you just pay full price for a permanent ability?!" Ye Fan muttered, then closed the group chat.

In reality, Ye Fan slowly opened his eyes from within the persona of "Gu Yue Fang Yuan" played by Su Lin.

White Emperor robes fluttered in the wind, his aura ethereal, black hair swirling, his body luminous and translucent—he looked like a deity, serene and calm, refining himself with endless misty essence.

Yet at the same time, a ferocious, malevolent aura surged toward him—unbelievably, thin red hairs sprouted on his face, then instantly turned to ash.

From his Wheel Sea, he summoned the Ten Thousand Things Mother Qi Cauldron, which hovered above his head; thousands upon thousands of dark-yellow qi threads descended, like the manifestation of the Three Thousand Great Dao paths descending into the world.

Then, a green lotus appeared beside Ye Fan, bearing only three leaves, imbued with the true meaning of the Dao: Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, Three begets Ten Thousand Things.

The three leaves trembled gently, shrouding Ye Fan in hazy chaos mist; simultaneously, the Dao Jing's profound art activated automatically within his Wheel Sea, like rivers returning to the sea, like all things reviving.

At this moment, Ye Fan's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharpening—as if fully awakened.

Auspicious divine light circled his body; Ye Fan raised his right hand and pressed down upon the misty chaos emerging from the bronze coffin—he resembled a primordial deity who had opened heaven and earth, pitting the world born within his body against the bronze coffin.

Of course, all this was merely surface illusion—Ye Fan, at his current stage, had no power to suppress the bronze coffin with his own manifestations. But the camera's resolution was only 1080p anyway—it couldn't distinguish real from fake; just max out the special effects.

The most crucial thing, of course, was the "Bing Zi Secret."

While Ye Fan faced off against the Three-Eras Bronze Coffin, everyone struggled desperately against the terrifying manifestation—but strangely, even heavenly artifacts had become ordinary objects, and all talismans and dao instruments were utterly useless.

The Bing Zi Secret of the Nine Secrets manifested its power—Ye Fan's spiritual sense surged like an ocean, resonating with the Ten Thousand Things Mother Qi Cauldron, as if fused with heaven and earth, bearing the imprint of the Dao.

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind: Those who love cheats lack the heart of a true cultivator! A true cultivator needs no external power.

But damn, it felt so good!

No wonder Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan was always obsessed with cheats.

He activated the Bing Zi Technique; the surge of cultivation power within him allowed him to push the coffin lid back—though he used all his strength, it was still heavy. But since he'd used only one hand, he absolutely wouldn't switch to two now.

"Close!!!" Ye Fan roared inwardly.

Gradually, the bronze coffin began to shut—with a thunderous boom—it sealed shut, perfectly seamless; all manifestations vanished, as if the universe born from the misty chaos had never existed.

After completing this, Ye Fan closed his eyes and collapsed again. Song Shuhang, playing Gao Sheng, rushed forward and caught Ye Fan, embracing both him and Su Lin.

"Brother!" Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, playing Gu Yue Fang Zheng, stumbled and staggered from farther away, lunging forward—this scene was incredibly real, mainly because he truly had no strength left, not a single bit of power remaining.

But in Qu Yanping's eyes, the situation was this: Gu Yue Fang Yuan was near death, his life essence barely enough to sustain basic breathing, his skin dried and shriveled like dead tree branches clinging to his bones, while Gu Yue Fang Zheng, heartbroken, desperately tried to awaken the sleeping Fang Yuan.

At this moment, the ancient, dying Gu Yue Fang Yuan struggled to speak: "Go… this place holds greater terror…"

"Leave," Li Feiyu gasped, rising unsteadily from behind Qu Yanping, clutching his chest. "Except for Fang Yuan, our life essence loss has little to do with this bronze coffin—the land itself is corrupted!"

"Brother, hold on!" Gu Yue Fang Zheng held Su Lin in his arms, tears streaming down his face; with Gao Sheng's help, he trembled as he slung Fang Yuan's arm over his shoulder and stumbled toward the entrance gate.

Li Feiyu and Qu Yanping stepped out first; not long after, the remaining few followed.

"Where's your uncle?" Li Feiyu reminded Gao Sheng.

Gao Sheng froze, then his heart turned cold; he widened his eyes and sprinted back inside the teleportation gate.

As expected, there sat Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang, slumped on the ground, utterly drained yet still reaching for the Three Lifetimes Bronze Coffin.

He quickly pulled the man up and ran toward the teleportation gate.

"Senior Kuangdao Sanlang, stop! Dying here really means death! Even Mr. Guangming can't save you!"

Do you think everyone has the same connection to Ye Fan that the Ferocious Emperor had, treating the Ancient Forbidden Zone like their backyard?

In the end, the survivors worked together to shove the bronze ancient coffin at the gate's inner side back into place, sealing the portal.

Who could have imagined that beneath one bronze ancient coffin lay a portal to an unknown starry forbidden zone, and on the other side stood another identical bronze ancient coffin?

Though they had returned to the ruins of the Heavenly Court, their cultivation had not fully recovered; rather, the forbidden zone's influence still lingered within them.

Qu Yanping clenched his fist—not only his cultivation, but even his physical body had regressed to the initial state of a mortal; at this rate, restoring his power would take several more days.

He fearfully glanced at Fang Zheng, who was pulling out pills to treat Fang Yuan; among them, the strongest—Gu Yue Fang Yuan—was now in this state. If not for the awakening of the boy named Ye Fan on Gao Sheng's back, they would surely be dead!

'This first bronze ancient coffin seals the gate to another realm. But what is imprisoned within the coffin in that forbidden zone?'

'No—there are two terrors. The first bronze ancient coffin suppresses what lies hidden in that forbidden zone, while the coffin within the forbidden zone—'

'Hides something even more terrifying!'

Qu Yanping's heart turned icy; he even suspected whether the second bronze ancient coffin buried the supreme beings who had fallen into demonic corruption.

He turned his gaze to the boy on Gao Sheng's back, recalling the overwhelming might with which the boy had sealed the bronze coffin—could this, too, be a supreme being!?

No. That senior had said the only supreme being still alive today was the former Yang Jian.

"No hope. His spirit is withered, his foundation shattered, and all his cultivation has been completely stolen." Li Feiyu's voice cut through Qu Yanping's thoughts:

"And a strange force clings to all of us, resisting recovery. For now, we cannot even use resurrection techniques."

Qu Yanping's pupils contracted; he drew a deep breath and walked toward Gu Yue Fang Yuan.

"Fang Zheng… cough!" Gu Yue Fang Yuan's facial muscles twitched; his ink-black eyes fixed firmly on Gu Yue Fang Zheng, as if trying to smile but unable to: "Live… well…"

"Is there truly no way?" Qu Yanping, seeing their strongest member reduced to this, felt the chill of lips gone and teeth exposed—could even resurrection fail?

"Only if we had a heavenly artifact of divine medicine could we try." Li Feiyu shook his head helplessly, pronouncing Gu Yue Fang Yuan's fate.

"Divine medicine… heavenly artifact?" Gu Yue Fang Zheng murmured; he glanced at Qu Yanping, dazed: "I once gave you, Comrade Qu, a Chaos Cloud Fungus."

"I already consumed it," Qu Yanping replied, fearing the man might turn to his flesh: "Besides, when escaping the time anomaly, I likely died once—otherwise, my cultivation talent couldn't have been purified like bone-marrow washing."

Gao Sheng also looked sadly at Gu Yue Fang Yuan and said: "I don't have any either. My uncle Kuangdao Sanlang has no solution."

Gu Yue Fang Zheng, heartbroken, said: "All I have left here is the root of the Chaos Cloud Fungus… Brother."

"The root of the Chaos Cloud Fungus?" Li Feiyu frowned slightly, then relaxed, saying to Gu Yue Fang Zheng: "Give it to me."

"Master Li's heavenly artifact, the Sky-Controlling Vase, can shorten the growth cycle of spirit plants and herbs," Gao Sheng quickly added.

Qu Yanping was stunned—he hadn't known Gu Yue Fang Zheng had kept the root of the Chaos Cloud Fungus. But better still: saving a key combatant would greatly aid their next exploration.

Moreover,

He subtly glanced at Li Feiyu, his eyes hiding greed.

'This kind of treasure ended up in the hands of an ordinary Shen transformation cultivator—even counting this realm's power, he's merely a Celestial Immortal.'

'Even if I someday become Yang Jian, this heavenly artifact would still greatly aid me.'

"Thank heaven Master Li is here," Qu Yanping smiled warmly: "How long will it take?"

"Please, Master Li!" Gu Yue Fang Zheng hurriedly handed over a white-gray fungal root.

"Normally, it takes a day," Li Feiyu said without looking up, taking out a handful of spirit soil from his storage pouch and placing it on the ground, then set the white-gray fungus into it:

"But Brother Fang Yuan probably won't last that long."

"Fine. I owe him a favor. Had he not stood at the front, using his own cultivation to resist, I would have perished long ago, my cultivation reduced to nothing."

He pulled out a small green vial and poured out all its spirit liquid.

"Now we can accelerate its growth."

As droplets of intensely concentrated spirit liquid fell, the surrounding laws of nature seemed to grow chaotic.

Then, before their stunned gazes, the Chaos Cloud Fungus—now only a root—grew visibly, rapidly transforming from a physical form into a cloud-like plant existing between reality and void, insubstantial.

Without a word, Li Feiyu plucked this heavenly artifact, turned it into medicinal liquid, and fed it into the dying Gu Yue Fang Yuan's mouth, then snapped his neck, placing him into resurrection state.

Three breaths later, Gu Yue Fang Yuan's withered skin regained elasticity, his lost flesh slowly filled in, his aura steadily strengthened; he opened his eyes and slowly regained consciousness.

After one resurrection, he returned directly to his peak state.

"Brother! Are you alright? Thank goodness—you're safe!" Gu Yue Fang Zheng exhaled in relief, smiling: "Thank you, Master Li."

Gu Yue Fang Yuan opened his eyes, rose from the ground, looked at his hands, and smiled: "Yes, I'm fine. This debt I shall never forget."

Li Feiyu smiled and said: "It's nothing. Not—"

Pfft—

"No, I must thank you, Han Li, and then—"

The sound of flesh tearing rang out, accompanied by spurting blood; Fang Yuan's deep, pool-like eyes reflected the smiles on everyone's faces as he coldly said:

"Die, Ancestor of Time!"

In the horrified gazes of all, Li Feiyu collapsed with a heavy thud.

Gu Yue Fang Yuan dropped a severed right palm, now holding the Sky-Controlling Vase—just moments ago belonging to Li Feiyu—in his bloody hand.

He turned to Gu Yue Fang Zheng and smiled: "My foolish brother—no matter which version of you, you're always this naive."

Then, his eyes flickered with wariness toward Ye Fan and Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang; he tore through space and vanished in the direction they had come.

In the colorful space, only the stunned, lifeless figures remained, along with Li Feiyu, lying on the ground, his life force entirely gone.

Su Lin: "Liu Li Ge, are you alright?"

Han Li: "."

Ye Fan: "My lord, the Devil Refining Sovereign has such great authority!"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "Blood is stained all over the ground and you still ask if he's alright! Don't you have a heart!!!"

Song Shuhang: "This demonic cultivator seems to have gone dumb—what do we do? Who should speak first? The script has no line for who speaks first."

Han Li: "I'll do it."

End of chapter