157: Seven forbidden zones for life, those are our backyard.

The north wind sweeps across the land, and the withered grass bends low.

Taichu Ancient Mine—in the history of Zhongzhou, these four words represent absolute death and taboo.

It is a scar on the earth, a forbidden land of the heavens; within a radius of a million miles, all life is extinguished, and even birds dare not fly over it. That gray mist is no ordinary fog, but the corpse qi that dissipated after the death of Great Emperors, mixed with the dust of ancient ages; to touch it is to die, and to encounter it is to perish.

However, at this moment...

Five divine rainbows, brilliant to the extreme, arrived whistling like sharp swords intent on piercing through this gloomy world, carrying an unstoppable Aura.

"Rumble—!"

The sound of sonic booms shattered the withered trees along the way.

Xiao Chen took the lead, stepping upon the immortal slaying sword, followed by Shi Tian carrying a hoe, Ye Fan with a myriad things mother qi cauldron atop his head, and Leng Yanran and Su Mo, both shrouded in Devilish Qi.

Of course, there was also that big yellow dog who, even while flying at high speeds, still let its long tongue flap in the wind, attempting to use the breeze to make its fur look more handsome.

"We're here."

Xiao Chen abruptly halted his flight, hovering at the edge of the gray mist.

Ahead lay the core region of the Taichu Ancient Mine.

There were no roads there.

Only layers of barriers as thick as solid matter, shimmering with an eerie dark red light, undulating like a rhythmic breath.

"The Light of Taichu."

Leng Yanran narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice carrying a hint of solemnity.

"This is the Fallen Light of Taichu. Legend has it that it is the exhaust exhaled by ancient Supremes, containing extremely terrifying Laws of corrosion. If an ordinary Human Race Saint Lord were to be touched by even a tiny bit, they would instantly turn into a pool of pus, and not even their Primordial Spirit could escape."

This was the first line of defense for the forbidden zone.

It was also the ghost gate that had blocked countless explorers and swallowed countless greedy Soul.

"That toxic?"

Shi Tian shrunk his neck and glanced at his own fair, plump arms. "Wouldn't that wrinkle my skin? Revered Master said that boys also need to take care of their appearance."

"Take care of your ass."

Ye Fan strode forward, his resolute face filled with disdain.

On his bare upper body, his golden blood surged frantically beneath his skin like boiling lava.

"Revered Master sent us here to settle things, not for beauty treatments."

"You think a bit of exhaust gas can block our path?"

"myriad things mother qi cauldron, open for me!"

"Buzz—!!!"

Following Ye Fan's roar, the three-legged, two-eared round cauldron hovering above his head suddenly vibrated.

The originally rust-covered cauldron seemed to come alive at this moment, shedding the traces of time to reveal the ancient Xuanhuang patterns beneath.

Billions of strands of Xuanhuang Mother Qi cascaded down like silk, each strand as heavy as a mountain, enough to crush ridges.

"Boom!"

With the cauldron atop him, Ye Fan was like a rampaging humanoid tank; without any fancy techniques, he crashed directly into that patch of Fallen Light of Taichu!

"Sizzle— Sizzle—"

Terrifying sounds of corrosion rang out.

The Light of Taichu, which was enough to melt saint-grade weapons, frantically eroded the myriad things mother qi cauldron.

But it was useless.

Mother Qi is the root of heaven and earth, the mother of all things!

It encompasses all and suppresses all!

Before the Xuanhuang Qi, those fallen lights were like melting snow before a blazing sun, rapidly dissolving and receding, as a wide vacuum path was forcibly carved out!

"The path is open!"

"Go!"

A sharp light flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes as he followed closely behind.

"Wait for me! Wait for me!"

Shi Tian shouldered his hoe, his Heavenly Tyrant Blood boiling as purple blood-qi formed a massive Protective Aura shield around him.

He looked at the swirling gray mist around him with disgust.

"This place smells awful, like a pickle jar that's been marinating for three thousand years."

"Let's finish digging and leave quickly; I still need to take a bath when we get back."

...Yaochi Heavenly Palace.

A deathly silence reigned.

Everyone looked like ducks being choked by the neck, mouths agape, staring blankly at the massive Water Mirror in the center of the hall.

The Water Mirror was broadcasting the scene at the edge of the Taichu Ancient Mine in real-time.

They saw Ye Fan, with the cauldron over his head, crashing through the Light of Taichu—which had terrified countless powerful experts—as if he were strolling through a vegetable market.

They saw Shi Tian hopping along behind him while complaining about the air quality.

They saw that dog lifting its hind leg to take a leak as it passed a boundary stone.

"This... this is... storming a forbidden zone?"

A living fossil from an ancient family in Zhongzhou trembled with his beard, feeling as though his worldview had been shattered into pieces.

"Back in the day, this old man knelt outside the Taichu Ancient Mine for three years just to seek a longevity herb, and I didn't even dare to enter that layer of mist..."

"How... how are they acting like they're just going home?"

"Strolling through a back garden wouldn't even be this easy, would it?!"

That intense sense of contrast left everyone present feeling suffocated.

That was a Forbidden Zone of Life!

It was a forbidden land for humanity!

How did it become... an agritainment farm in the hands of these people?

"Heh."

A light chuckle broke the silence of the hall.

Li Daoxuan remained seated in the main seat, holding a cup of spiritual wine and gently swirling it.

He looked at the group of "country bumpkins" below who looked like they had never seen the world, a playful arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"What? Are you very surprised?"

"Sit down, everyone, sit down."

He pressed his hand down, signaling the Human Race Saint Lords who had stood up in tension to sit.

"This is only the beginning."

"The real show has only just started."

Li Daoxuan waved his hand casually, sending a spell into the Water Mirror.

The image instantly zoomed in, becoming even clearer.

"Come, come, don't just stand there in a daze. Eat and drink as you please."

"There is plenty of wine and food today."

"It just so happens that my few worthless Disciple are going to perform a show for everyone."

"The name of the show is—"

Li Daoxuan paused, a flash of playfulness in his eyes.

"'Dismantling a Forbidden Zone with Bare Hands'."

"..."

Everyone looked at each other; they wanted to laugh, yet they couldn't.

Dismantling a forbidden zone?

Is that a show that can be performed?!

This is playing with their lives!

But seeing Li Daoxuan's calm and composed manner, as if everything were within his grasp, the fear that had originally gripped their hearts inexplicably dissipated quite a bit.

Replacing it was a... highly absurd sense of expectation.

Could they... really do it?

...Inside the Taichu Ancient Mine.

After passing through the outer Light of Taichu, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

It wasn't as eerie and terrifying as imagined, but rather... a bit desolate.

The earth was crimson, as if it had been soaked in blood countless times.

There were no flowers, no grass, and no trees.

There were only oddly shaped boulders scattered across the wasteland.

And at the end of the wasteland...

Massive mine shafts, like the entrances to an abyss, gaped blackly like mouths leading deep underground.

That was where the ancient Supremes slumbered.

"This is the Taichu Ancient Mine?"

Su Mo frowned, the ten thousand souls banner in his hand vibrating slightly, as if it sensed an Aura that made him uncomfortable.

"Such thick Death Qi."

"The number of beings buried here must be in the billions."

"Who cares if it's Death Qi or life qi."

Shi Tian's eyes were sharp; he had already set his sights on an unremarkable black rock by his feet.

The surface of the rock was pitted and looked like a lump of coal.

But he could feel that it contained an extremely pure Taichu Essence Qi!

"Taichu Life Stone!"

Shi Tian gave a cheer, swung his hoe, and smashed it down.

"Clang!"

Sparks flying.

The outer stone skin shattered, revealing the stone core inside that was as warm and moist as mutton-fat jade.

"I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Shi Tian hugged the stone and gave it a big kiss. "Outside, a piece of this the size of a fingernail could be traded for a city! And here, it's just tossed by the roadside?!"

"What kind of forbidden zone is this?"

"This is clearly a Treasure Trove!"

"Senior Brother! Senior Sister! Hurry up and start!"

"If we're late, others will grab it... oh wait, no one else dares to come here except us!"

Shi Tian was like a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar, so excited he couldn't tell north from south.

Xiao Chen looked at the "Treasure Trove" all over the ground; although he tried his best to maintain the dignity of the Eldest Senior Brother, his hand holding the sword still couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Too rich.

It was truly too rich.

Every stone on this ground would be a Supreme treasure that could cause a bloodbath in the outside world.

But here, they were just... paving stones.

"Ahem."

Xiao Chen cleared his throat, forcibly suppressing the greed in his heart.

"Junior Brother, be calm."

"We're here to settle the chaos, and... restock while we're at it."

"However..."

His tone shifted, and his gaze became sharp.

"Revered Master also said that we shouldn't be wasteful."

"Since these things are just lying here and no one wants them, they are ownerless objects."

"To prevent them from being covered in dust and to protect the resources of the cultivation world..."

Xiao Chen waved his hand, and the immortal slaying sword let out an excited hum.

"We have the responsibility and the obligation to help them... move house!"

"Do it!"

"Leave not a single blade of grass!"

"Woof! (You got it!)"

Da Huang was the first to respond; it turned into a yellow flash and charged toward a small hill made of Divine Source not far away.

It opened its large mouth and performed its innate Divine Ability—Devouring Heaven and Earth!

"Slurp—"

That small hill of Divine Source, which was enough to bankrupt a Holy Land, was sucked into its stomach like jelly in a single gulp.

"Burp—"

Da Huang patted its belly with satisfaction.

Tastes pretty good, a bit sweet.

Leng Yanran was not to be outdone.

She had her eye on a patch of blood-colored lingzhi growing on a steep cliff.

That was the "Blood Soul Ganoderma" grown from being stained by the blood of Supremes; it had miraculous effects on repairing the Divine Soul.

The death gods scythe swung.

A black blade-light flashed, and the entire cliff was sliced off cleanly.

She didn't even bother picking them individually, directly storing the entire cliff face into her Storage Ring.

Her main approach was... to uproot everything.

As for Ye Fan, he set his sights on several massive stone pillars standing at the entrance of a mine shaft, which were covered in Ancient Dao Runes.

"This material... looks like Taiyi Fine Gold?"

Ye Fan's eyes shone.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around one of the stone pillars.

"Rise!"

With a roar, golden light exploded from his entire body!

"Rumble—"

The earth cracked open.

That Formation stone pillar, which was buried countless fathoms deep and used to suppress the ley lines, was actually... pulled out by him by force!

"Good stuff! I'll take it back for Revered Master to use as a clothesline!"

Ye Fan carried the stone pillar, laughing like a three-hundred-pound child... inside Yaochi Heavenly Palace.

Everyone watching the actions of those "bandits" in the Water Mirror was now completely numb.

They watched Shi Tian dig three feet deep into the ground just to excavate a single rock.

They watched Ye Fan running around carrying someone's Formation pillars.

They watched that dog even tasting the soil on the ground to see how salty it was.

The reverence and fear they originally held for the Forbidden Zone of Life vanished without a trace at this moment.

Replacing it was a... highly absurd illusion.

Is this really the Taichu Ancient Mine?

Is this really that deathly wasteland that swallowed countless heroes and buried eternal ages?

Why... does it look so fun?

They even... kind of wanted to go there?

"That..."

A Human Race Saint Lord swallowed hard and whispered.

"Heavenly Emperor Li, do these Disciple of yours... still need helpers?"

"Although this old man is untalented, I... still have some strength and could help carry bags or something..."

Li Daoxuan smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"Want to go?"

"Sure."

"As long as you don't mind the crowd and aren't afraid of death."

"After all..."

He pointed to a corner of the Water Mirror.

There, from the depths of the originally peaceful mine shaft, a... heart-palpitating dark Aura suddenly surged forth.

"The true owner seems... to be waking up."