“That Supreme Being was already advanced in years back then, nearing the end of his lifespan. Yet none of his descendants showed any real promise. Fearing that his descendants would be unable to control his followers, he used the pretext of forging weapons for them to imprint a trace of his own will into each weapon. The will of a Supreme Being is terrifying beyond measure. Even though the Ye family founder was incredibly powerful, he still could not withstand it.”
Ye Jingyun sighed. “The Supreme Being’s will was not meant to destroy the founder. Instead, it was intended to slowly transform the founder’s heart through the will, turning him into a puppet who would willingly follow his descendants.”
“But who among those who followed a Supreme Being was not a hegemon of their era? Who among them was not proud and untamed? The Supreme Being could subdue them because he possessed absolute strength, making them follow him of their own free will. But for his useless descendants to try treating them as puppets, how could they possibly accept it? Thus, these absolute powerhouses began to resist. They tried every possible method to sever the Supreme Being’s will.”
“Yet no matter what they tried, they could not succeed. In the end, when they were on the verge of becoming puppets, they entered a certain place.” At this point, Ye Chu suddenly looked towards Tan Miaotong and said, “You should know something about that place. The Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land!”
“Where?” Tan Miaotong covered her small mouth and could not help exclaiming. Her eyes widened as she stared at Ye Jingyun. For her family, this place was a nightmare. It was a forbidden land. Back then, her family refused to believe in its dangers. Thinking no place was beyond their reach, they attempted to uncover the secrets of the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land. Yet not a single person returned alive. And that expedition had mobilised countless powerhouses from their clan—enough to sweep through regions and dominate entire lands.
Ye Chu had also heard of this place, though only from that madman Ou Yi. Ou Yi often boasted that inside the forbidden land there was a mirror perfectly suited to reflect his handsome face. He said that if he ever got the chance, he would definitely seize it.
Having heard it mentioned so many times, Ye Chu remembered the name. But judging from Ou Yi’s tone, it did not seem all that terrifying. So why was Tan Miaotong so visibly shaken?
Still, thinking of Ou Yi’s unreliable personality, Ye Chu could not help shivering. If even followers of a Supreme Being had entered that place and fallen there, how could it possibly be ordinary?
It was probably exactly as its name suggested—a forbidden land of nightmare demons!
“What exactly happened back then?” Ye Chu asked curiously. “How did he die inside?”
Ye Jingyun continued, “The Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land was already a forbidden zone in those days. It was extremely terrifying. The founder took a desperate gamble by entering. Fortunately, he managed to find a way to resist the Supreme Being’s will!”
These words nearly made Ye Chu leap up in excitement. “You mean the Ye family founder found a method to counter the Supreme Being’s will?”
Ye Chu’s heart could not calm down. He understood exactly what this meant. He himself was tainted by a Supreme Being’s will. For now it was not obvious, but as his strength gradually grew, he would eventually begin to lose himself.
Ye Chu could already feel the icy chill slowly spreading from the imprint on his arm. At this rate of diffusion, by the time he reached the great cultivator level, it would be enough to make him completely lose himself. That was why Ye Chu had to find a way to counter it before reaching the Primordial Spirit Realm.
“Why are you so excited?” Ye Jingyun frowned and looked at Ye Chu suspiciously.
“Of course! The will of a Supreme Being is terrifying. There are very few things in the world that can resist it. Finding even a possible method to counter it is more than enough to get anyone excited, isn’t it?” Ye Chu countered. “But if he found a way to resist the will, how did he still die inside?”
Ye Jingyun continued, “We don’t know the full details about that part. We only know that he encountered something. He did not manage to fully obtain the method before he had to flee the forbidden land. But he was already gravely injured. Since he could not fully acquire the method, he could only use the portion he had obtained, combined with his own vital essence and blood qi, to seal the will. He left this sword for his descendants. Later, an ancestor of our family entered the place, found the founder’s remains, and retrieved this sword. That was how we learned these things.”
Ye Chu understood. He turned his gaze to Tan Miaotong again. “What exactly is that place? How terrifying is it?”
“It is perpetually shrouded in murderous qi. A single moment of carelessness and the murderous qi will invade you. Most importantly, there are terrifying monsters inside—neither fully human nor fully ghost, yet utterly horrifying. From the clues our clan later recovered after entering, it is an absolute land of unparalleled ferocity. Perhaps only a Supreme Being could uncover its secrets.” Tan Miaotong said, “However, the cultivation resources inside are also countless. Despite how terrifying it is, there are still endless cultivators who venture there, hoping to seize an opportunity and soar to the heavens. Some succeed, but very few. Most who enter never return.”
Ye Chu nodded. Then, with some curiosity, he asked, “You said there is murderous qi inside? Is the murderous qi very terrifying?”
“The deeper you go, the more terrifying it becomes. There are even murderous qi that possess spirituality.” Tan Miaotong said. “Back then, many of our clan’s powerhouses who ventured deep into the forbidden land died at the hands of the murderous qi.”
Ye Chu nodded again. Then he looked at Ye Jingyun and asked, “Did the Ye family obtain that portion of the method to counter the Supreme Being’s will?”
Ye Jingyun shook her head. “The ancestor who entered back then barely escaped with his life. Bringing back this sword was already a stroke of immense luck. Naturally, he did not dare hope to obtain too much. So he hurried back. Even the Ye family’s most precious battle technique could not be brought out.”
“The Ye family’s most precious battle technique?” Ye Chu asked curiously.
“The founder’s peerless battle technique capable of fighting across the nine heavens.” Ye Jingyun said. “It is a terrifying secret art, truly astonishing.”
Ye Chu felt it was a pity. If he could obtain that method, he would have one more guarantee against the Supreme Being’s will.
“Ye Chu, are you interested in taking a trip to the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land?” Ye Jingyun suddenly looked at Ye Chu and smiled sweetly. The woman’s smile was truly beautiful. But Ye Chu immediately turned his head away as though he had not seen it. Was she joking? Even powerhouses like that had only met death inside. If he went in, he would not even qualify as cannon fodder!
Tan Miaotong shook her head. “The Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land is not a place you can enter just because you want to, nor can you avoid it just because you don’t want to. The strangeness of this place lies in the word ‘nightmare.’ You might step into it as though in a dream without realising. Of course, you might also think you are surely going to die, yet somehow walk out unharmed.”
Tan Miaotong smiled. “So what we should do is try our best to avoid entering the range of the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land. That way we can completely avoid stepping into it.”
“So magical?” Ye Chu said in surprise to Tan Miaotong. “Let’s go. A forbidden land like that is not somewhere you and I can set foot in.”
As Ye Chu spoke, he searched the bearded man’s body and found quite a few good items. Among them were some medicinal juices brewed from herbs, which were helpful for cultivation. If sold outside, they could fetch a good price.