Shrouding the Heavens - Chapter 221

Chapter 2.

The fog grew denser. As cultivators, they couldn’t see beyond a hundred meters. The fog strands contained a strange power, and the boundless earth was completely engulfed by darkness.

"Little brother, do you have any solution? Can you really lead us out?"

"Daoist, we’re relying on you completely. If we manage to escape alive, I’ll erect a longevity plaque for you."

Trapped in the Taichu Forbidden Area, no one could remain calm. All were anxious and had gathered around Ye Fan.

"Do any of you have Sources on you? I need them to change the earth’s formation," Ye Fan asked the other five.

Old Dao didn’t say anything and directly handed over a dozen bags, each containing fifty pounds of Source, which were his collected payments.

Seeing him do this, the other four also contributed, pooling over three hundred pounds. They were not ordinary people; otherwise, they wouldn’t have spent fifty pounds of Source to come to the Great Primordial Mine.

"Is it enough?" Old Dao asked.

Ye Fan himself took out five hundred pounds of Source and said, "Barely enough."

"Don’t hold back, we still have more." Hearing him say this, they pooled another three hundred pounds. This time, they were thoroughly out.

Ye Fan took out one hundred and eight large flags and carefully engraved them following the records of the Heavenly Source Book, inscribing mysterious patterns. He intended to shift from defense to offense, to fix the earth veins, lock the Divine Sources, and forcibly open a path.

Of course, he understood that with his current strength, it was impossible to stabilize the Divine Sources unless he fully comprehended the Heavenly Source Book, which was far beyond him. However, he had a twenty percent chance of changing the earth’s formation in a small area and intended to "startle the snake," driving away the Spirit Communicating Evil Sources.

「After an hour.」

Ye Fan finished engraving the flags and quietly advised the others, "Stay close to me, don’t wander off."

Upon hearing his warning, the others, except Old Dao, grew very tense.

BANG!

Ye Fan planted a large flag into the ground, used his finger as a knife, inscribed a Star Sky Map around the flagpole, and embedded more than ten pounds of Source into it.

"Does this really work?" One of them doubted, unable to discern anything.

"Look, the fog strands around the flags have weakened a lot." Another person was more observant, sensing the change.

All of them revealed joyous expressions.

Ye Fan quickly set up the flags. He dared not delay for fear of an unexpected occurrence and soon had planted over a dozen flags waving in the fog. The area cleared significantly; the fog dispersed, and the view was no longer blurry.

WHIZZ!

Nearby, brilliance blossomed. A Star Sky Map below a flag was exceptionally bright, strikingly prominent in the night.

"Uh-oh, that creature is pulling out the flags!" someone exclaimed.

SNAP!

A flag broke. A shadowy figure flew by, twisting a flag until it snapped.

SNAP!

In the distance, a second flag was broken and fell to the ground. They only glimpsed a shadow covered in beast hair flash and vanish.

"What do we do? We just set them up, and it’s tearing down the flags," Old Dao furrowed his brows.

This is bad, things look ominous, Ye Fan’s heart sank. He had suspected this creature had significant origins, and now he confirmed it was a spiritual item guarding the Divine Source.

"What now?" the others asked.

"Don’t harm it," Ye Fan solemnly advised. This is only the most peripheral spiritual item; according to the records in the Heavenly Source Book, it’s the lowest level guardian.

There must be something sealed within this Divine Source!

Chances were, there was a living, terrifying creature within the Source; otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a powerful spiritual item guarding a King.

Ordinarily, powerful spiritual items remain dormant, leaving only the weakest one to protect the Source. If harmed, it will surely alarm even more terrifying ones, which are absolutely beyond handling.

A Divine Source with sealed living beings... surely it’s the finest among Divine Sources. Are we getting close to the Great Primordial Mine? Ye Fan mused a bit.

He was truly troubled. This Divine Source had spiritual items guarding it, so he probably couldn’t execute the so-called "startle the snake" anymore. Not to mention what lay within the Source, even if a strong guardian emerged, they would all be annihilated.

What would the Heavenly Source Master do in this situation? Ye Fan pondered, contemplating briefly.

「A short while later.」

Ye Fan inserted all the flags at the same spot and inscribed a large Star Map below, embedding over a thousand pounds of Source.

"Everyone, we have only one opportunity!" Ye Fan transmitted his voice. "Soon, the earth’s formation here will tremble, and the fog will break open momentarily. It will be a very brief window. If we cannot escape then, we will undoubtedly die."

His words were true. Soon, an earthquake would occur here, likely alarming even more formidable spiritual items. Failure to break free would mean they would be sealed here completely.

"Prepare yourselves! I’m about to act now!" Ye Fan cast the last hundred pounds of Source into the center area of the Star Sky Map, embedding them instantly.

In an instant, brilliance shot skyward, tearing through the black fog, scattering starlight across the sky. The ground shook violently. The more than one hundred flags burned fiercely, and the thousand pounds of Source on the ground transformed into endless enormous Qi, cracking the earth. The inscribed Star Sky Map corresponded with the stars above, summoning points of star power and shaking the ground intensely.

"GO!"

Ye Fan was the first to rush out. Old Dao followed closely, and they fled desperately into the distance. From behind came a low roar, as if something was awakening. Screams rang out, and a rain of blood flew, but they didn’t look back. All of them did their utmost to push forward.

Soon, Ye Fan and Old Dao broke out, followed by two others. They dared not pause for a moment and ran directly towards the Fire Dragon Tomb. Fog surged behind them, sealing the area once more.

Until they approached the Fire Dragon Tomb, the remaining four finally breathed a sigh of relief. That place was too strange. Looking from afar, the mist swelled, covering everything until it was densely opaque. Outside, the moonlight was bright, and stars filled the sky. The night was as tranquil as water.

"Thankfully, there’s Dragon Blood nearby; otherwise, we’d be in big trouble." Ye Fan and his companions stood by the small, blood-colored lake, discovering that no creatures were pursuing them.

"The thing sealed in that Divine Source must be terrifying," Ye Fan stroked his chin, understanding further that even becoming a Heavenly Source Master might risk his life.

"Someday, when I’m strong enough and have comprehended the Heavenly Source Book, I’ll definitely dig you out!" Ye Fan looked at the mist.

In just a few hours, he had already discovered three Divine Sources. This Taichu Forbidden Area is indeed mysterious; I truly don’t know why!

"Let’s go. We should quickly leave here. Although there are no living things here, this Dragon Rift Valley and Blood Lake make one’s skin crawl," a surviving cultivator suggested.

Ye Fan nodded. Though it wasn’t the time when day and night alternated, staying near the Fire Dragon Tomb and Dragon Blood was still dangerous. They circled tens of miles around to avoid the mist area from afar, concealing their presence, fearing great disaster.

The bright moon hung high, its white light spilling across the red earth, like thin smoke swirling around. This scene was very serene, unlike a terrifying forbidden area; instead, it resembled a tranquil place suitable for a moonlit stroll.

"Can we get out alive? Based on our direction, we’re heading out, but why do I feel like we’re getting closer to the Great Primordial Mine?"

"I have this uneasy feeling too."

Two of the four voiced similar concerns.

Ye Fan also felt uncertain. "It’s as if some strange power is causing us to hallucinate," he said.

Old Dao wasn’t sure either. "Could the power from the ancient mine be summoning us, leading us astray...?"

The four of them, unable to find their way, climbed to higher ground to survey the distance.

"It’s over... We’re not going to survive!"

"Oh my God, human-like creatures... taboo deities!"

The two cultivators’ teeth were chattering, and their arms, pointing in the same direction, trembled uncontrollably.

Ye Fan and Old Dao, hearing this, turned to look forward and were petrified on the spot. It was hard to say how far away they were. On the horizon stood three figures. Although distant, one could still make out their blurred outlines. Moonlight was like water, and the vast earth lay in silence. The figures on the horizon were terribly vague and ethereal.

Evidently, the figures had also noticed the four of them.

One of them shone fiercely all over, dazzlingly bright, standing on the horizon like a golden sun, or akin to a deity. The other had a slender build, dressed in white like snow, her long hair dancing in the wind. She appeared like a fairy from the Nine Heavens, possessing an ethereal clarity and shimmering with a soft radiance. As for the one in the middle, they were indistinct and hazy, creating a very surreal impression.

These three figures, standing in the Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land, appeared more godlike the more one looked, sending shivers of dread down their spines.

"Walking dark paths all my life, finally ran into ghosts!" Old Dao exclaimed. He’d traveled around the outside of the Great Primordial Mine for decades with nothing but close calls, but now felt doomed.

The distance was too great to see their features clearly, but their divine-like aura spoke volumes.

Ye Fan’s heart was also pounding. "Let’s flee!" he urged.

The other two were close to tears, their legs cramping. There were too many legends about the Great Primordial Mine, and encountering this, they felt they had no escape.

"Human-like creatures like deities..."

"We’ve likely reached the center of the Great Primordial Mine!"

Ye Fan was the first to act. He stepped down from the high ground and, once he was out of sight of the three figures, lowered his body and sprinted away. Old Dao, though appearing weathered, was quick-footed, not much slower than Ye Fan, and also sprinted away. The other two were trembling all over, scrambling and crawling as they pursued, desperately fleeing.

Ye Fan ran for tens of miles without stopping before finally slowing. Old Dao had kept pace and stopped with him. They waited a long time before the other two caught up. The two were shivering like leaves and sat down heavily on the ground, not from exhaustion, but purely from fear.

"Taboo... We’ve encountered such things..." the two stammered, drenched in cold sweat.

"They didn’t come to take our lives. Why is that?" Old Dao wondered.

The four of them were somewhat puzzled. Encountering godlike beings here usually signified death. Even the various Peacock Kings had not been spared.

"Surviving is a blessing. Let’s hurry and leave," Ye Fan urged.

They absolutely could not proceed in the previous direction. The four collected their thoughts and chose another direction to seek a way out.

「About an hour later.」

They all felt something was off.

"We’re approaching the Great Primordial Mine!" Ye Fan and Old Dao spoke simultaneously.

Oppression, fear, sorrow, grief... Waves of these emotions, strong enough to make one lose control, washed over them from ahead. They activated their Divine Eyes to glimpse the distant earth’s edge, where limitless starlight poured down like a waterfall, streaming towards the ground. The boundless starlight converged into a river, vast and white, flowing towards the end of the heavens and earth. The inexplicable waves emanated from there.

It must be the Great Primordial Mine! The four made the same judgment, their hearts pounding. They were likely no more than a hundred miles away.

Since ancient times, Peacock Kings of the Eastern Wastelands and Emperors of the Central States, once they entered, had never returned alive!

"Those three divine-like beings... they might not have attacked us to force us into the Great Primordial Mine?!"