“Stay right here!” The old man and the city lord of Black Jade City stared at Ye Chu. Their auras erupted, pressing down on him with overwhelming might.
The old man’s presence was truly astonishing, far surpassing the city lord of Black Jade City. Ye Chu felt a chill in his heart. He did not dare underestimate the opponent. His body tensed. As radiance surged from the old man, the murderous qi in Ye Chu’s qi sea also rolled forth, continuously flowing out to envelop him.
“You want to kill me? You’re still lacking quite a bit!” Ye Chu struck first. A domineering and terrifying attack shot straight towards the old man. Murderous qi surged with the strike.
The old man unleashed his power. Radiance blocked the murderous qi as he pressed forward towards Ye Chu. The city lord of Black Jade City flanked from the side, intending to kill Ye Chu together.
“Get lost!” Ye Chu roared. He slammed out a palm. Murderous qi rolled forth like raging waves. As it surged, the murderous qi churned endlessly, eroding towards the opponents.
The murderous qi was terrifying, yet the two before him were great cultivators after all. Their surging power blocked the murderous qi. Each clashed palms with Ye Chu. Ye Chu withstood the city lord’s strike, but the old man’s blow shook his blood and qi into turmoil. Blood surged from the corner of his mouth. His body staggered back.
Using the momentum of retreat, Ye Chu suddenly shot towards Shangguan Min Da. “I’ll kill you first!”
Shangguan Min Da had not expected Ye Chu to target him. His expression changed drastically. He retreated sharply, ordering the cultivators beside him to block Ye Chu.
But how could ordinary cultivators withstand Ye Chu’s murderous qi unless they were great cultivators? As the murderous qi swept out, several cultivators were instantly reduced to bones and died miserable deaths.
“Courting death!” The old man roared and charged towards Ye Chu, intending to stop him from reaching Shangguan Min Da.
Ye Chu abruptly changed direction and shot away into the distance. His speed was lightning-fast as he fled the area. This old man was far too powerful. Ye Chu was not afraid of him, but he was unwilling to waste what little multicoloured-patterned murderous spider qi he had left on him.
The journey to the Ruo Water Clan was still long. Who knew what dangers lay ahead? Keeping some life-saving means was absolutely necessary. Although Ye Chu wanted to kill the old man and Shangguan Min Da, he was unwilling to pay too high a price.
“You won’t escape!” The old man pursued Ye Chu. Shangguan Min Da also led his many cultivators in chase.
Ye Chu fled at full speed, weaving through various paths to confuse his pursuers.
The terrain here was complex. Despite their full effort to chase him, they were still led around in circles by Ye Chu.
“Ye Chu, you won’t escape!” Shangguan Min Da shouted from behind as he pursued. “Today you must die!”
“Save those words for when you actually catch up!” Ye Chu laughed heartily. He leaped over a bluestone and shot further into the distance.
The terrain grew more intricate. Ye Chu’s movements became faster and faster. He continued surging forward, leading the entire group in circles around him. But after running for an hour, Ye Chu suddenly felt something was wrong. Though he had been running the whole time, he realised he seemed trapped in a loop. The surrounding scenery gradually became familiar. He kept feeling a sense of déjà vu.
Finally, Ye Chu was certain. He had been moving in circles the entire time. His heart jolted. A bad premonition rose within him.
Ye Chu stared in one direction and ran straight ahead. Yet the result was the same. In the end, he still returned to the starting point.
This scene was also noticed by Shangguan Min Da and the others. The old man’s expression changed drastically. “The Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land! How is this possible?”
The old man’s face turned pale. His expression was extremely unsightly. They had been careful the entire chase, fearing they might enter the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land. Yet even so, they had failed to avoid it. They had actually stepped into the forbidden land.
Shangguan Min Da’s expression also turned grim. He naturally knew what the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land represented—a land of extreme danger. Even the Shangguan family did not dare approach this area.
“Young master…” The old man swallowed hard. His mouth felt dry. A chill ran down his spine.
“Kill him first!” Although Shangguan Min Da was also worried, seeing Ye Chu ahead, he still decided to kill Ye Chu first.
Ye Chu saw the group charging towards him again. He gritted his teeth and shot deeper into the area.
Ye Chu was almost certain this was one of the arrays of the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land. He had not expected his luck to be so poor as to stumble into it so easily. Since he had entered and could not avoid it, he might as well go deeper. If he could not survive, at least these people would not have it easy either.
“He’s heading deeper into the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land!” The old man shouted. “Stop him! Don’t let him go further!”
But no one could stop Ye Chu. His figure flashed rapidly and vanished into the depths of the array.
The Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land was a mysterious place. The moment Ye Chu’s figure entered the depths of the array, he felt as though he had passed through a thin layer of mist. Before his eyes appeared endless mountain ranges. Yet these continuous mountains were barren, without a single blade of grass. Only dead silence filled the air. The surroundings were eerily quiet, oppressively so. Especially those mountains—black and bare—gave off an intensely sinister feeling.
Ye Chu stared fixedly at the endless mountain ranges. A chill surged in his heart. His scalp tingled.
Shangguan Min Da and the others soon caught up. They were seeing this infamous forbidden land for the first time as well. Looking at the continuous mountain ranges before them, everyone’s faces turned pale. The dead silence here made them feel uncomfortable and oppressed.
“Ye Chu…”
Seeing the old man charging towards him, Ye Chu gritted his teeth and shot towards the black, barren mountains. “If you have the guts, come kill me!”
Now that he was already here, Ye Chu was no longer afraid of death. He might as well see for himself what secrets this forbidden land held. He remembered Ye Jingyun’s words—that within this forbidden land existed a method to resist a Supreme Being’s will. Ye Chu did not hope to obtain it himself, but at least he could try his luck.
The old man watched Ye Chu shoot towards the mountains. His steps suddenly halted. He did not dare pursue further. Going any deeper meant there would truly be no way back. They would be fully entering the forbidden land.
“Young master! Look…”
“Chase him!” Shangguan Min Da shouted. “He dares go in—why shouldn’t we? Though this forbidden land is terrifying, it’s not as if no one has ever come out alive. For this brat, I will only feel at ease once I see him dead.”
“This…” The old man was somewhat unwilling. This was the forbidden land. Far more people died inside than came out alive. Was it worth risking so much for one young man?
“If we don’t go, do you think we can get out?” Shangguan Min Da snorted at the old man.
The old man paused. He looked back at the path they had come from and found nothing there. In this world, aside from the endless mountain ranges, there was only boundless plain in every direction. If they tried to leave now, they might not get out even in ten years.
“Everyone who has ever left the forbidden land has entered the mountains. The exit can only be found within. If you want to starve to death here, then stay behind.” Shangguan Min Da took the lead and walked forward. The city lord of Black Jade City followed behind him.