Shrouding the Heavens - Chapter 220

Heeding the warning from before, everyone quickly retreated, distancing themselves from the lake, fearing they might lose their lives here.

Hundreds of meters away, the eight people turned to look and felt increasingly alarmed. The blood, like smoke, hovered and rose in wisps, resembling strands of fierce spirits.

The small lake, merely a dozen or so *zhang* across, was so vividly scarlet it made one’s heart pound, so vibrant it was suffocating, as if that pool of water could devour heaven and earth.

"What kind of lake is this? Why does it make people feel so eerie?!" one person shivered uncontrollably. It wasn’t out of cowardice, but because the atmosphere here was truly wrong, making people shiver involuntarily in the face of the Blood Lake.

Away from the "Fire Dragon Tomb" and "Dragon Blood," standing on higher ground, the others also noticed something unusual. Viewing the Great Rift Valley and the scarlet lake in its entirety allowed them to instantly discern their shapes.

"Holy shit, it’s a dragon vomiting blood! How can such an Earth Formation exist?" someone exclaimed, cold sweat pouring from their body.

It looked exactly like it—truly a masterpiece of supernatural craftsmanship!

Such mountainous landscapes seemed meticulously carved, not natural formations.

Several cultivators broke out in cold sweat upon seeing such an Earth Formation; they were left dumbfounded and, more so, terrified.

Ye Fan glanced at the sky. The sun was setting, casting an evening glow. His expression suddenly changed as he shouted, "We need to retreat further!"

The *Heavenly Source Book* recorded that the "Fire Dragon Tomb" and "Dragon Blood" are most terrifying during the transitions between day and night.

Seeing Ye Fan in such a state, everyone turned pale and followed him, running wildly.

After running for several *li*, just as the sun was about to dip below the horizon, a horrifying muffled sound echoed. The Great Rift Valley trembled, and the waters of the Blood Lake surged, gushing from the ground into the sky.

Among the eight survivors, cultivation bases varied. The weakest, lagging behind by a full *li*, emitted a heart-wrenching scream.

The seven turned back to look, watching him fly backward, pulled by a mysterious power, directly into the Blood Lake. He vanished instantly, without even a ripple.

Frightened to their cores, the others didn’t dare to fly. They sprinted desperately to catch up with Ye Fan and Old Knife Handle, who were disappearing over the horizon.

It wasn’t until they were more than ten *li* away that Ye Fan stopped. The others arrived one after another, each drenched in cold sweat—not from exertion, but purely from fear.

"If I could choose again, I would never come to this damned place. Even if I were offered a Source, I wouldn’t be tempted," said a young cultivator, his voice choked with sobs.

The others all felt similarly, their faces ashen, expressions of belated regret etched upon them.

"This Taichu Forbidden Area is truly extraordinary! We’re still far from the ancient mines, yet we’ve already encountered such a Demon Land. If we had recklessly advanced earlier, we all might have died there," one person said, his voice trembling.

"That’s a highly ominous Earth Formation—True Dragon Coughing Blood!" Old Knife Handle’s face was grave.

"Sir, have you heard of it?" Ye Fan asked. He was inwardly surprised, but his face remained calm.

"I reckon, young man, you know more than I do. If you hadn’t warned us, perhaps none of us would be left," Old Knife Handle glanced at him.

"I only sensed danger intuitively; I don’t truly understand it. Please, Sir, could you elaborate?" Ye Fan requested.

"I don’t know much, only snippets," Old Knife Handle shook his head, saying, "No one knows exactly how many years ago it was. I imagine at least seven or eight thousand years, maybe even ten thousand."

Long ago, in the northern region, such terrain was discovered. Back then, countless people perished, many of them prominent figures of that era.

Ultimately, a Heavenly Source Master emerged and deciphered that landscape, but at a great cost, nearly losing his life. And within half a year, that Heavenly Source Master mysteriously vanished.

"Why insist on breaking open such a landscape? Is there something valuable beneath it?" one cultivator asked sharply.

"Of course. Otherwise, who would rush to their deaths?" Old Knife Handle said no more.

Ye Fan sighed inwardly. The "Fire Dragon Tomb" and "Dragon Blood" both nurtured Divine Sources—at least two of them—just over ten *li* away, yet he couldn’t obtain them.

This was his first clear detection of Divine Sources. If he had heaven-defying Combat Power and fully understood the *Heavenly Source Book*, perhaps he could try to claim them.

For now, he could only push those thoughts aside. Just surviving and getting out of here would be the greatest success.

As night descended, the group of seven moved slowly. Despite their strength, they didn’t dare hurry. They watched in all directions, carefully observing the terrain, terrified of inadvertently entering a Desolate Land.

Because Earth Formations like the "Fire Dragon Tomb" and "Dragon Blood" were certainly not isolated incidents; other Demon Lands had to exist.

"Old Knife Handle, are you sure this leads out of the Forbidden Area? I feel like we’re heading towards the ancient mine," a cultivator said shakily.

The sun had long disappeared. Darkness prevailed, starless and moonless. On the boundless red earth, a faint mist began to rise, obscuring their direction.

Old Knife Handle also furrowed his brow. He felt more directionless as they walked; it seemed like a Labyrinthine Domain, silent all around, the atmosphere somewhat eerie.

Red sandstone covered the ground. Stepping lightly on it emitted CRUNCH-CRUNCH sounds, which echoed far in the quiet and spacious night.

The seven dared not be careless, all traveling with their feet barely touching the ground, fearing they might disturb something, for the legends about the Great Primordial Mine were far too numerous.

After walking for a while, they completely lost their sense of direction, as if they had stumbled into a labyrinth.

The sky grew darker, and the fog swirled, initially like a thin, wafting veil, but gradually thickening until it threatened to obscure everything beyond arm’s reach.

"I say... we shouldn’t keep going," one cultivator halted, his heart pounding. "I feel the direction is wrong."

"I have the same feeling. This doesn’t seem like the way out," another agreed, fear in his eyes. "If we inadvertently head to the Great Primordial Mine, we’ll truly be up shit creek without a paddle, with no one to call for help."

Everyone felt heavy-hearted. Losing direction and being unable to find the way back in this Taichu Forbidden Area was equivalent to losing half their lives.

Old Knife Handle was silent for a long moment, then sighed and said, "Not moving isn’t an option either. Otherwise, I fear something might happen."

"We absolutely cannot proceed further! If we do, we might unknowingly step right into the ancient mine. By then, there’ll be no chance for regret!"

"Let’s wait until sunrise tomorrow before we leave."

"Stopping is unwise! This place is eerie!"

Their opinions differed, and they started arguing.

"What do you think, buddy?" someone asked Ye Fan. Old Knife Handle also looked over.

"Let me think, let me ponder it..." Ye Fan was worried and couldn’t calm down; he kept feeling that this area was strange.

Looking up, there were no stars or moon, only an oppressive darkness, like a black cloth covering the sky. Gazing into the distance, there was no sight of land, only mist rising and falling. They seemed to be trapped in a box.

This is just like the ghostly mist recorded in the *Heavenly Source Book*, he thought. Source Masters can define the dragon veins of mountains and rivers and lock Divine Sources. Conversely, an Evil Source can seal heaven and earth, trapping and killing people.

The ghostly mist rising was a great omen of disaster. They had very likely entered a Demon Land and would be sealed here to die.

If a Source locked people, it was the most perilous situation—a deadly trap!

Ye Fan cursed. After studying the *Heavenly Source Book*, he had yet to locate any Sources or lock any veins, but now, he was the one trapped by a Source! This was a situation that could turn deadly at any moment.

The ghostly mist enveloped them, concealing hidden killing intent. Once triggered, everyone would immediately turn into pus and blood.

It could be said that the Gate of Hell had already opened for them.

By now, he finally understood why, since ancient times, only five Heavenly Source Masters had emerged from the northern region. What they faced was too terrifying; this line of work rarely ended well.

"Everyone, we’re in big trouble! Who can retreat the way we came?!"

A heavy feeling settled in their hearts; this was the news they feared most.

"This place is like a maze. We’ve long lost our sense of direction, how can we find the way back?"

"I did leave some markings, but when I tried to sense them, I found the connection was lost," Old Knife Handle sighed.

Ye Fan felt a chill. To be counter-trapped by an Evil Source was a perilous situation, extremely difficult to escape—almost a dead end.

He had never in his life defined a vein or locked a Source, yet now he was about to be sealed to his death by one. This truly frustrated him; he was probably the unluckiest disciple of a Heavenly Source Master in history.

Ye Fan squatted down, drawing and scratching on the ground, calculating something. He then said, "There’s still a chance for survival. We haven’t entered the central region, only the periphery. There’s only this ghostly mist, nothing else. Perhaps we can find a way out."

"Buddy, what are you saying? We still have a way out?"

"Young Daoist, we’re all relying on you! You must think of a good plan!"

The others gathered around him.

Ye Fan looked at them seriously and said, "Recall carefully. Everyone, draw me a map of the route you took, based on your perception. Depict the region we’ve traveled through."

The others, sensing the severity of the situation, dared not delay. They all squatted down and began drawing maps on the red sandy soil.

Just as Ye Fan expected, everyone’s route maps were significantly different. It was as if they hadn’t walked together but had approached from different directions and paths.

Ye Fan pieced the seven maps together, pondering them carefully. Occasionally, he would stand up and measure continuously within a radius of about a thousand feet, moving from one position to another.

An hour later, he finally let out a long breath of relief. They had not yet fallen into a Desolate Land; he had thought of a way to extricate themselves.

However, when he stood up, he was startled. Not far away, seven figures were sitting. Counting me, there should only be seven of us, he thought. Why is there an extra person?

"That... Who is that?!"

Upon hearing his low shout, the others were shocked. Five silhouettes stood up quickly, moving away from that spot.

SWOOSH!

The sixth shadow shot up, swift as a phantom. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the dense mist, its form unseen, its features a blur.

Everyone present turned deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down. In just a moment, their clothes were soaked.

What was that thing? We couldn’t see it clearly at all!

One of them was trembling violently, his teeth chattering, and he stammered, "I... I think I saw... it wasn’t human... covered in beast fur..."

Upon hearing this, the others felt their scalps tingle. That beast-furred thing had been sitting right near them, and they hadn’t sensed it at all. This realization struck terror into each of their hearts.

"He... What happened to him?!"

One person hadn’t stood up and remained sitting on the ground, like a weathered stone statue.

A few of them stepped forward. When they reached him, all their faces changed color. The sight was truly unbearable: the man’s skullcap had been pried open. The brain inside, white and viscous like tofu pudding, had been mostly devoured, with only a small portion remaining.

ZING!

With a backhand gesture, Old Knife Handle flicked a finger. A seven-colored beam of light shot out, piercing into a patch of thick mist.

There, a shadowy figure quickly disappeared, rushing into the depths of darkness.

Several of them moved closer and found a small puddle of brain matter at the original spot, along with two black beast hairs.

Clearly, the brain matter, belonging to the deceased man, had dripped from the creature’s mouth. Only the beast hair belonged to the mysterious being.

"Let’s leave this place. Don’t worry about it now." Ye Fan stepped forward. The most urgent matter now is to exit this bewildering area, he thought. The ground here contains Divine Sources; if we stay too long, we might really be trapped here permanently.