Chapter 88: Re-entering the Forbidden Zone

An unknown amount of time passed.

The Heavenly Tribulation finally ended, the Ten Thousand Daos no longer trembled, and the Heaven's Heart mark also rejoined, slowly reassembling.

Has the Great Accomplishment Holy Body proved the Dao and become Emperor?

Throughout the Universe, countless cultivators raised this question.

The many Supreme Races and various major powers were the same; even employing their sect's supreme treasures to investigate, they could not learn the truth.

Because the final Heavenly Tribulation was too terrifying, no formation could see Gu Xuan's true tribulation-crossing scene.

People could only guess at some clues through that world-destroying thunderstorm sound.

Only the Forbidden Zone Supremes barely glimpsed a strand of light and shadow.

In a trance, they saw Gu Xuan standing above the Ten Thousand Daos, treading the Heaven's Heart mark beneath his feet.

"Before the Void's Dao Marks dispersed, he broke the Great Dao's suppression and proved the Dao……"

Even the Supremes could not help but exclaim in admiration; this truly created an unprecedented divine miracle.

In the Forbidden Zones, there were also those with grave expressions, feeling some heart-trembling fear at the rise of such an existence as Gu Xuan in the world.

He truly possesses a strand of the Emperor Venerable's bearing!

But back then, the Emperor Venerable's relationship with the various Life Forbidden Zones was not too hostile.

But now.

Due to various reasons, the Forbidden Zones' relationship with Gu Xuan is not good; it can even be said they are enemies.

Under this situation, certain existences in the Forbidden Zones cannot help but feel some apprehension in their hearts.

In this life, they who were once high above may perhaps also be unable to avoid making some concessions.

And the facts are indeed so.

After the Dao-proving tribulation ended, Gu Xuan sat cross-legged recuperating in that stretch of starry sky for another month, stabilizing his own Great Dao.

Then.

A Golden Light Avenue extended, heading straight for the Seven Forbidden Zones of Life in the Beidou Star Domain.

This Qi mechanism was too overbearing and peerless, shocking everyone.

On the Eastern Wasteland's land, hundreds of millions of cultivators gazed up at the Heavens, their Divine Souls trembling.

"This kind of prestige……"

There was an elderly Quasi-Emperor, his sect's Ancestor-level Old Foundation, who also awoke from Self-Sealing, his whole body shuddering.

He recognized the severity, for in the past he had once paid respects to the Void Great Emperor, and had also been received by Gu Xuan, witnessing their kind of Imperial Dao pressure.

Now, Gu Xuan has returned from crossing the tribulation, and his pressure seems even more terrifying.

"The Great Accomplishment Holy Body has become Emperor!"

This news was finally verified, shaking the entire world like a tsunami.

"Inconceivable, too divinely magnificent; at over twenty thousand years old in his twilight years, he still achieved such a mythical feat!"

People exclaimed in admiration!

For Gu Xuan's heaven-defying act, they could not calm down for a long time.

Because the impact of this matter is too great!

Since endless ages, no matter how stunningly talented the Emperors and Emperors were, they all only crossed the tribulation to prove the Dao after the previous Great Emperor had perished for ten thousand loads.

Since ancient times, none have been otherwise; it has become an immutable principle of ancient and modern times, even becoming a kind of Forbidden Curse!

And Gu Xuan's current performance has broken this Forbidden Curse, creating an unprecedented grand event!

"Holy Emperor!"

People shouted out this title.

"Reincarnation Second Life, pacified several Dark Turmoils, shattered the Ten Thousand Daos to become Emperor; can be called Heavenly Emperor!"

There were also ancient inheritances flipping through Ancient Books, shouting out the title "Heavenly Emperor".

Because in past times, such towering existences had also doubtfully appeared, like the Nanling Heavenly Emperor.

The world was in an uproar for a time, but Gu Xuan did not pay it any mind; he headed straight for his destination.

Divine Yi Ji Forbidden Zone.

This is an incomparably mysterious place, located in the Eastern Wasteland's Western Region.

Its degree of terror ranks alongside Busianshan, Taichu Ancient Mine, and other Forbidden Zones; within hibernate several Supremes.

In this kind of place, Imperial Array Patterns are densely distributed; the world's people die upon approaching; since ancient times, few cultivators have dared to draw near.

Only from Ancient Texts can one learn some scant remnants.

Legend has it that there are ruins left by gods; there are even records stating this place has an unfallen South Heaven Gate, majestic Heavenly Que, vast and boundless, without end.

Years drift by, countless years have passed, the world has long since undergone vicissitudes, yet the Divine Yi Ji have not changed in the slightest.

There are also secret classics pointing out that one of the Undying Divine Medicines, the Undying Flat Peach Tree, takes root in the Divine Yi Ji.

According to legend, the Undying Flat Peach Tree was in the hands of the Dou Zhan Holy Ape Lineage in the Primordial Era, but later for unknown reasons entered the Divine Yi Ji.

Within, there may be unknown inside stories.

But thinking about it, it is also normal.

After the Dou Zhan Holy Emperor failed to transform into a War Immortal, without an Extreme Dao Emperor presiding, it was only natural this lineage could not hold onto the Undying Flat Peach Tree.

But now.

The Holy Emperor has just proved the Dao not long ago, yet has come to the Divine Yi Ji; what is his intention? Is it to settle Karma?

On the Eastern Wasteland's land, there are cultivators whose hearts and spirits tremble together, because this kind of Supreme-level clashing is most terrifying; if not careful, stars shatter, and perhaps even several surrounding Star Domains cannot be preserved.

Of course, the probability of this situation occurring is very small, but it still makes a portion of people's gall bladders cold.

Above the gigantic South Heaven Gate, the Golden Light Avenue extended and arrived, stopping right there.

A majestic, peerless figure descended, swirling with Chaos Qi and radiating Imperial Prestige that collapsed the myriad ages of the heavens!

It was Gu Xuan!

In the past, he had passed by this Forbidden Zone but had not stepped inside.

Now, entering here for the first time, after passing through Nan Tian Men, he sensed a grand aura, suspected to be the ripples of Dao Marks left by the Great Emperor sweeping through the void.

This aura was somewhat similar to the Dao Marks at that place on the Honghuang Ancient Star.

Indeed, that ancient rumor was true.

Nan Tian Men was a relic of the Great Emperor Ancient Heavenly Court; after the desperate God War of endless years ago, it fell here.

As soon as Gu Xuan descended into the Divine Yi Ji, he sensed several extremely powerful Divine Senses staring fixedly at him.

Yet he treated them as nothing, calmly stepping into this mysterious Life Forbidden Zone of the myriad ages.

Outside World.

The Heavens and Worlds had already shaken; countless great powers had opened Source Heaven Law Arrays to pay attention to this place.

This was both out of curiosity and out of fear.

A current Saint Emperor traveling forth and directly charging into a Forbidden Zone was undoubtedly a major event.

A slight spark could trigger a God War, thereby affecting the Whole Great Universe.

People saw the Saint Emperor simply stride into Nan Tian Men, without encountering any obstruction from Zhizun fluctuations like when the Void Great Emperor stormed Busianshan, the Reincarnation Sea, and other Forbidden Zones back then.

Meanwhile, the various Zhizun in the Divine Yi Ji remained silent throughout, saying nothing, merely staring coldly and ruthlessly at Gu Xuan.

Amidst a silence, the atmosphere was both tense and terrifying!

"The Saint Emperor is truly invincible!"

An elderly cultivator sighed.

"The Heavenly Emperor's Imperial Prestige is such that even the Zhizun of the Forbidden Zones remain silent, staying properly in their own seclusion grounds!"

Some made such speculations, which were close to the truth.

Indeed, the facts were exactly so.

This was Gu Xuan's resounding fame forged through tens of thousands of years of conquest!

Now, having broken the suppression of Ten Thousand Daos and Proven the Dao to become Emperor, he even surpassed the ancients and moderns, with the world believing he had attained the Dao Fruit of the Heavenly Emperor!

Nearly comparable to the Great Emperor of old, or the later Nanling Heavenly Emperor!

Although the Zhizun of the Divine Yi Ji also possessed invincible Dao Hearts and did not believe they were truly much weaker than Gu Xuan, since they had never truly dueled, no one would admit this point.

But now, no one believed anymore that they could suppress him in Combat Power after Extreme Sublimation.

Therefore, facing Gu Xuan's "visit," remaining silent was the wisest choice for all the Zhizun.

Otherwise, a single disagreement triggering the opening of war could very likely bury their own Immortal Opportunities, which would be extremely not worth it!

Gu Xuan was not overly aggressive either.

Because he sensed that even though the Thunder Emperor who had Appeared in the past had fallen, at least five Zhizun still slumbered in the Divine Yi Ji!

If pushed too far, these people Appearing together—although he would not necessarily be defeated, it would be difficult to restrain so many.

In that case, it would very likely implicate All Living Beings and even lead to a Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.

Gu Xuan strode calmly among them, carefully observing this Forbidden Zone.

Needless to say, each of the Seven Forbidden Zones of Life in Beidou was so mysterious and unfathomable, a place that even Emperor-level Experts would be moved by.

At his current realm, he obviously discovered the extraordinary nature of this Forbidden Ground.

This place truly deserved to be called the abode of divine spirits!

Immortal Qi swirled within, possessing a magnificent power that spanned the ages and collapsed the immortal.

Obviously.

Slumbering in such a place, the passage of Lifespan was greatly delayed.

And when he opened his Divine Path Heavenly Eye, carefully observing and gaining insight, he finally discovered the wonder of this Earth Vein.

Of course, the Immortal Sources self-sealed by the various Zhizun were also a key reason.

But studying this Earth Vein was also of no small benefit to Gu Xuan.

He stayed here for a long time, turning this Earth Vein into a Yin Ji, keeping it for later use; perhaps it would be useful.

His behavior made the Zhizun in the Divine Yi Ji extremely angry, even their eyes seemed to spit fire.

But in the end, they still endured and did not explode.

Small impatience spoils great plans.

Facing the current Gu Xuan, no Zhizun was willing to undergo Extreme Sublimation; with only ten or so hundred thousand years left until the Immortal Path opened, it was not worth breaking the seal over a bit of present displeasure.

Gu Xuan understood the mentality of the Zhizun very well.

This was also one of the reasons he was now somewhat unscrupulous.

Finally.

He saw through the Divine Yi Ji completely and gained much insight.

Then he reached out with one hand, taking several huge Stone Steles inscribed with Ancient Characters into his palm, placing them into the Chaos Square Vessel above his head.

It seemed he wanted to take them back to his Dao Chang for thorough study.

This brazen behavior made the eyes of the Zhizun extremely cold and full of indignation.

Throughout the myriad ages, there had not been many current Zhizun like Gu Xuan who dared to act so wantonly in a Forbidden Zone.

But after all, in the previous upheaval, the Thunder Emperor had indeed Appeared in the Divine Yi Ji.

Although the Thunder Emperor had fallen, if the Karma of this matter were truly calculated, it would still fall upon the entire Divine Yi Ji Forbidden Zone.

This kind of thing was an unspoken tacit understanding between current Provers of the Dao and Life Forbidden Zones throughout the myriad ages.

Fortunately.

Gu Xuan ultimately departed, and the situation did not escalate further.

Outside World.

Everyone watched as the Saint Emperor strode out of the Divine Yi Ji Forbidden Zone in such a swaggering manner, his Ji Zhi Emperor Weapon Chaos Square Vessel floating above his head, calm and composed.

"My heavens, just like the Void Great Emperor back then... no, even more imposing than the Void Great Emperor back then!"

A cultivator exclaimed in admiration.

Because they knew from Ancient Texts that after the Void Great Emperor proved the Dao and became Emperor, he encountered some obstruction when entering Busianshan and Reincarnation Sea, and there were also verbal clashes.

But the Saint Emperor of today, charging into Forbidden Zones as if entering an uninhabited realm, not a single Ancient Emperor uttered a word!

Golden Light Avenue continued to extend, arriving at the next stop.

Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone.

Here, there were once vast stretches of Black Great Peaks everywhere, each pitch black like ink, like the monarch among mountains, magnificent and imposing.

But times changed; the Void Great Emperor had plunged deep into Busianshan several times to wage war back then, and later four or five Supremes broke out of Divine Source.

The Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone of today seemed somewhat downcast.

Several Black Great Peaks had cracked, like damaged black jade gems, looking rather dilapidated.

There should only be two Supremes left.

This was what Gu Xuan sensed.

Indeed it was so; in the Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone of today, only Stone Emperor and Xuanwu Ancient Emperor remained.

Gu Xuan descended from midair and slowly stepped into the Mountain Gate.

In the distance, numerous Stone Spirits, including Quasi-Emperor Level Headless Knight, Great Sage Level Stone Lion, and some small stone lifeforms, were all trembling.

Because although Gu Xuan did not deliberately release his aura, he also did not deliberately restrain it.

The Emperor Dao Prestige of him today was too terrifying.

Before these small Stone Spirits, it was no different from a Heavenly Dragon facing ants; even the Quasi-Emperor Level Headless Knight was the same.

And Gu Xuan simply did not care about them, walking straight into their midst.

He came before the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree.

Tens of thousands of years had passed, and the Immortal Tea on it had long since matured.

A total of one hundred and eight Immortal Tea Leaves, Immortal Leaves swaying, divine light overflowing, fragrance beyond compare.

Each was different; some were shaped like small tripods, some like small qilins, and others like small dragons, emitting mysterious Dao Rhyme, possessing profound Dao Principles beauty.

Each represented a different Dao, and were helpful to Emperor-level Experts.

Gu Xuan stepped forward, a Nine Heavens Divine Jade Bottle appearing in his palm, and he harvested the one hundred and eight Immortal Tea Leaves one by one into it.

During this process.

Naturally, two powerful Divine Senses were watching him, coldly staring at his back.

Needless to say, they were naturally Stone Emperor and Xuanwu Ancient Emperor.

And Gu Xuan did not care at all.

After harvesting the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Leaves, he did not leave, but continued to walk calmly in Busianshan, observing carefully.

Because Busianshan was originally a mysterious place, just like Taichu Ancient Mine and Reincarnation Sea, these Forbidden Zones were all Origin Immortal Lands of the Universe.

Such places had all sorts of profound and mysterious aspects.

At least one thing could be confirmed: only this Origin Immortal Land could cultivate Enlightenment Tea Trees; otherwise Gu Xuan could have completely moved it to his own Dao Chang and would not have cared about anything.

In fact.

If during this process Stone Emperor had shown the slightest provocation, Gu Xuan would not hesitate to remove the Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone from the records.

But finally.

Whether it was Stone Emperor or Xuanwu Ancient Emperor, they both endured it.

Just like the Supremes of Divine Yi Ji, they remained silent and chose to let sleeping dogs lie.

This was not only out of fear of Gu Xuan's current realm, but also because the Immortal Path was not far off, and they did not want to cause trouble.

Moreover, in that recent disturbance, Busianshan had also dispatched Cangxu Supreme and Candle Dragon Ancient Emperor, two people.

Regarding Gu Xuan coming to their door, the Supremes also tacitly accepted it, allowing him to seek some "compensation."

While strolling in Busianshan, Gu Xuan discovered more secrets of this Forbidden Zone.

The name Busianshan should be a later name, perhaps taken by Stone Emperor.

And accurately speaking, this place could also be called Chaos Divine Mountain, because it was full of rare Chaos Divine Soil, this strange soil being the best habitat for many divine herbs and elixirs.

No wonder the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree could only grow here.

And this place was similar to the Divine Yi Ji Forbidden Zone, also having the miraculous effect of delaying the passage of time; no wonder it was most suitable for Supremes who practiced Self-Severing!

Outside World.

All major powers paying attention to this scene were completely silent.

People's hearts trembled with fear, yet also excitement and nervousness.

For how many tens of thousands of years, there had not been several Ancient Emperors or Emperors with such prestige, strolling through the Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone, where the Ancient Emperors within remained silent and did not speak.

It seemed only the Ruthless Great Emperor back then was like this.

An old Sage had browsed through the peerless Ancient Books within his Sect, knowing some unknown ancient history secrets, and uttered such a sigh.

However, the deeds of the Ruthless Great Emperor were too mysterious, and the records on those Ancient Books were perhaps mostly speculation.

And now.

The Saint Emperor was alive and well before the eyes of the world, making people sigh with emotion, like a Heavenly Emperor rising!

(Chapter End)