Shrouding the Heavens

If one did not have a base understanding, looking at the lush vegetation filled with life and vigour, one would surely think that this was a pure land. However, if one were to carefully scrutinise, they would quickly spot the abnormality, such a big piece of land but the sound of bird cries or beast roars were absent, any traces of ants or bugs were absent and it was deathly silent!

Three big sects were working together and had hand picked a few elites, not many cultivators went roughly eighty odd people.

“In the innermost depths of this forbidden area lies nine sacred mountains, our three big sects will split up, each scaling a single sacred mountain to prevent any conflicts regarding division of any divine medicine.” The old horsemen of the Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground suggested.

Thirty odd people had come from the Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground, each stalwart and tall, sitting on unique beasts which were extremely big and had plenty of brute force. Regardless of cultivator or beast, after entering this forbidden area, the spring of divine energy would be sealed making it difficult to use any abilities to gain benefits, thus, when selecting people or beasts, the big sects had taken this into consideration.

The Jiang Family had brought over twenty experts, the leading one was an elder by the name of Jiang Han Zhong, he was mounted on a demonic elephant who was covered in black scales that seemed to flash as he laughed: “Brother Xu’s idea is lacking, this area is filled with unknown dangers, it would be best if we travel together. I think that scaling a single sacred mountain would allow us to acquire sufficient divine medicine for our three big sects to share, there hasn’t been anyone successful in doing so for so long, we should not split up our forces.”

Having said this, Jiang Han Zhong inadvertently caught sight of Ye Fan as puzzlement seemed to flash through his eyes. Ye Fan’s heart immediately shuddered, he was very sensitive towards people of the Jiang Family, two years ago the horsemen of the Jiang Family had chased him endlessly.

The older horsemen Xu Dao Ling of the Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground shook his head: “I feel that the most frightening thing about the forbidden area is the power of the curse, even if we are all gathered together, it will simply be pointless. It would be better for us to split up and each search for our own fortunes.”

Jiang Han Zhong had a teasing smile on his face as his gaze swept onto Ye Fan before he spoke: “Our Jiang Family has only brought twenty odd people with us, we don’t have enough manpower and wish to borrow some people from brother Xu.”

Ye Fan’s entire body was covered in divine metal armour, even his head was fully covered and only his eyes could be seen. At this moment, he realised that the people of the Jiang Family must have recognised him, there were definitely horsemen who had chased him previously in the group.

Xu Dao Ling knew that Ye Fan had eaten the divine fruit before and had a greater ability than the others at defending against the curse, he was prepared to use him to acquire divine medicines within the forbidden area and when he realised that the people of the Jiang Family were attempting to take him, he immediately rejected.

An elder of the Ji Family, Ji Bing Feng, noticed that the words of both parties had hidden motives and indifferently spoke up: “It’s too early to make a decision, it won’t be too late to make a decision once we enter the forbidden area.”

The other two parties took his advice and continued moving forward. Initially, no one felt anything strange but after travelling for over ten miles, each person began to feel something abnormal.

“The divine spring of energy within my body is no longer surging and is on the cusp of disappearing……” A cultivator of the Jiang Family exclaimed in shock.

“My spring of life has been sealed and divine energy is no longer flowing out.” An expert of the Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground had an ugly expression.

All members of the group began to have ugly expressions on their faces, their bodies no longer contained the qi essence of life and even the sea of bitterness was gradually drying up.

“What are you panicking for? This has all been anticipated!” Jiang Han Zhong coldly shouted.

Ji Yun Feng then spoke: “It’s alright even if the divine spring of energy dries up, we don’t require any abilities here. We only need to be able to fend off against the power of the curse.”

At this moment, Ye Fan could feel that the vigorousness of his spring of life had been reduced but did not dry up as it continued to gurgle. As for his golden sea of bitterness, although it had grown dimmer, it did not dry up.

“Could it be that after the potential of the primordial ancient divine body has been released, it is able to defend against the demonic power?!” Ye Fan contemplated to himself and found it difficult to keep calm, this was definitely a powerful trump card for him.

Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, Wang Zi Wen, Li Xiao Man, Zhang Zi Jun and Liu Yi Yi were each mounted on a unique beast, they were in the centre of the group with a few horsemen in charge of protecting them.

After advancing for over twenty miles, several roars of ferocious beasts could be heard, it was extremely unsettling and a tiger which was the weakest amongst the unique beasts actually began to tremble as it lay prone on the ground, no longer willing to move forward a single step.

The terrain ahead was almost flat and ancient trees reached high in the sky. The lush and verdant branches were like a giant’s arm that stretched towards the skies, nothing seems out of the ordinary.

The group carefully advanced, no one spoke as they each held spears or sharp swords, ready to attack at any time. Their abilities were sealed and this was their only defense.

After travelling for another two hundred metres and bypassing several tall ancient trees, the ten odd mounts in the front suddenly stood up on their hind legs sending the cultivators seated on them falling to the ground.

Behind an ancient tree, snow white skeletal remains could be seen erected there, facing the group, it emitted a demonic aura.

“No signs of life nor any divine energy fluctuations, it is just a skeleton.” The few horsemen who had been thrown off their horses took big strides forward as they wielded the blades in their hands to destroy the skeleton.

However, something occurred that left everyone terrified. After the bones disintegrated, the few horsemen miserably cried as their dazzling divine armour which was extremely tough was becoming dim at an exceptionally fast speed as cracking sounds could be heard, constantly breaking apart before falling off like rotten bark of a tree.

The few horsemen’s eyes sunk in as their flesh withered and dried up, akin to dust slowly falling down. They seemed to have suddenly endured thousands of years of time, instantly withering up and leaving only some white bones as they fell heavily to the ground.

“Back away!” Jiang Han Zhong of the Jiang Family shouted: “Nobody go near it!”

The group could feel a demonic energy as they swiftly retreated, the mounts which were unsettled also began to howl.

The scene earlier made their hearts palpitate, seven lives were extinguished in an instant, this method of dying made them feel chills go up their spines.

Up ahead, absolute silence reigned as though nothing had happened. Only seven separate sets of white bones were left behind, even the divine armour on their bodies had disintegrated.

Ji Yu Feng of the Ji Family shouted: “Let’s bypass this area by a large margin, if you discover any abnormalities, don’t recklessly touch it!”

Finally getting past this area of the ancient forest, a horsemen suddenly screamed in terror: “My hands!……”

He was actually a young cultivator but at this moment his hands were withered and wrinkled, they had lost their youthful spring and bounce and he swiftly removed his helmet as he touched his face and screamed miserably.

The group were shocked, the cultivators face was currently covered with wrinkles and folds, his hair was completely white and his body stooped. His vitality was clearly diminishing at an alarming rate and would die at any moment.

By the side, a few cultivators also began to scream in terror but their voices were all ancient, similar events were occurring to their bodies as their vision became misty, their lives no longer assured.

“Why!” One of the horsemen was stooped over, trembling and swaying as the light in his eye seemed to dim before falling off his mount with a ‘Plonk!’, dead even before he reached the ground.

A moment later, the other horsemen also died one after another as they fell to the ground, they had died without knowing the reason why. Their mounts were also swiftly becoming older, no longer strong and full of vitality but becoming skin and bones, as though a terrible illness had beset them, these unique beasts had longer lifespans than humans and did not instantly die of old age.

Ye Fan noticed that the people who died were those who had been near the white skeleton, their mounts had been terrified as these people were thrown off them. His heart was currently in a state of shock.

Xu Dao Ling of the Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground reminded in a stern voice: “It can be seen how terrifying the forbidden area is, everyone do not let your guards down, do not act recklessly.”

The road forward was filled with a heavy silence, everyone felt unsettled and no one felt sure about the future.

Ye Fan sat on a ferocious beast as he carefully scrutinised the vegetation within the mountainous region, he was unable to keep calm as he noticed many spiritual medicines, they were all clearly aged and the number of years these spiritual plants had seen was unknown.

A Dragon Tongue Grass was flashing with a green light, as though it were made from jadeite, it was difficult to associate it with the term grass. It was clearly almost a jade tree, it was roughly two metres tall and in the heart of the grass was something that looked like a little dragon sticking its tongue out, dazzling and resplendent.

Not far away within a lake, a Jade Lotus was shining bright, within the huge lotus seed head were nine lotus seeds that were as big as chicken eggs, sparkling and translucent as though it was like dark green jade, even from a distance one could smell their wondrous fragrance.

The group did not stop, they did not have the any time to squander, otherwise, even if they managed to successfully crest a sacred mountain and acquire the divine medicine, their vitality would have already withered and would no longer be able to leave this area.

A horsemen who sat on a ferocious beast whose entire body was shining with a scarlet light came beside Ye Fan as he softly whispered in a mocking tone: “Why aren’t you running? Didn’t you run away swiftly two years ago? Anxiously like a stray dog…….”

Ye Fan swept his gaze at him before replying: “I feel that you are the loyal dog, two years have already gone by but you are still able to detect me through smell.”

“Your mouth is rather stubborn, I’m not sure whether you will still be like this when I’m slowly cutting you up.” The horseman continued with an indifferent cold smile: “I’ve heard that you have no way to cultivate, its no wonder they say a stupid man is bold, by then you won’t even know how you died.”

“You’re so confident that you’ll definitely be able to get me? You believe that you will surely be able to kill me?” Ye Fan was calm without any signs of anger on his face.

“You wish for the Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground to protect you? Stop daydreaming, if you obediently help us to acquire the divine medicine, we may leave a whole corpse for you. I’m sure you understand this clearly in your heart, it is impossible for us to allow you to leave alive.” This horseman whose name was Jiang Feng exposed his killing intent as he went on: “Of course, I can allow you to have a fast death. As long as you hand over the precious treasure, I’ll make sure that you die a swift and painless death.”

“Don’t you think that your words are rather hasty?” Ye Fan calmly looked at him: “Within this forbidden ground, who knows who will live until the final moment, it may be that I will break your neck.”

Jiang Feng looked over at him with contempt: “Even if my Divine Spring of Energy is currently dried up, killing you isn’t so different from squashing an ant, I won’t need to use much energy.”

“You seem really confident.” Ye Fan had a cold smile on his face but did not say anything further.

Jiang Feng had a sinister cold smile on his face as he said in a vicious manner: “Of the five horsemen who were chasing you, there are three that are currently here. We really wish to chase you again, but this time the results will clearly be different.”

Travelling deep into the forbidden area for over hundred miles, the nine sacred mountains finally entered their sights. Although they were not very tall, they gave off a vast aura that gave everyone an immense pressure, as though the nine heavens and ten lands were before them.

“That is…….”

Everyone could not help but have a sharp intake of cold air as they felt their scalps grow numb, within the endless abyss that was formed within the centre of the nine sacred mountains, endless numbers of skeletons were climbing out, innumerable like a sea of white.

“What’s going on?!” Everyone felt their hair stand on end.

“They are all people from six thousand years ago.” Ji Yun Feng of the Ji Family said with a serious expression on his face.

Xu Jun Ling of the Twinkling Brilliance Sacred Ground nodded as he said in a heavy voice: “That’s right, it should be them. Back in the day when that Immortal Sect Sacred Ground entered into the abyss of the forbidden area, endless experts fell and it is like that these skeletons are those people!”

Ye Fan felt as though his entire body were covered in cold air, he instantly thought of the crazed old man, this mountain of skeletons was likely his friends within his sect.