The terrain shifted dramatically. In the four cardinal directions stood the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird—the Four Sacred Beasts. Each towered ten thousand zhang high. Surrounding these four sacred beasts were countless ferocious beasts and divine birds interwoven together, their forms radiating blazing brilliance.
Ye Chu landed in the very centre of this array of ten thousand beasts and ten thousand birds. Ji Die stood not far from him, equally shocked by the sight.
At the heart of the encirclement of ten thousand beasts, a massive sacrificial altar appeared out of thin air. The beasts and birds surrounded and guarded it, as though it were the supreme ruler of the world.
The grand array was awe-inspiring. Ye Chu and Ji Die felt like mere ants within it—utterly insignificant. The light bursting from Ji Die’s jade bracelet was dazzling, yet it appeared trivial compared to the overwhelming radiance erupting from the array.
In the exact centre of the grand array, above the altar, a river of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy poured down like the Milky Way. It cascaded like a breached dam, shaking one’s vision. The boundless spiritual energy flooded onto the altar and was absorbed completely in an instant.
“Hiss…”
Both Ye Chu and Ji Die sucked in a cold breath. Such power, like rivers bursting their banks, was simply too astonishing. If this force were channelled into a single person and they could absorb it, they would instantly become an unparalleled powerhouse.
Yet this Milky Way-like torrent was devoured by the altar without leaving a single drop.
“Ten thousand beasts paying homage, heavenly and earthly qi transforming into rivers, using the earth as the foundation and the heavens as the response—this is an unparalleled grand array.” Ye Chu was deeply shaken. Such an array was far too terrifying, beyond anything he could have imagined.
“Boom… boom…”
The ten thousand beasts suddenly roared in unison. With their roars, the beasts began to writhe and shift unpredictably. Dazzling radiance erupted from their bodies. The light illuminated the nine heavens and surged between heaven and earth with world-shaking might. Nothing in the world could resist it. All things seemed destined to be covered by this brilliance—an absolute, peerless radiance.
As the ten thousand beasts transformed, their brilliant lights intertwined. The heavenly and earthly spiritual energy poured down even more fiercely, stretching endlessly into the distance and shaking one’s heart.
This world-shaking, epoch-shattering transformation of the ten thousand beasts left Ye Chu’s throat dry. He stared fixedly at the altar, whose radiance had also surged dramatically. “This… is this the method of a Supreme Being?”
Such heaven-defying power was not something ordinary people could display. Thinking of how even an absolute powerhouse like the Ye family’s founding ancestor had perished here, Ye Chu arrived at the only possible conclusion: there was a Supreme Being in the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land!
This guess made Ye Chu’s scalp tingle. What was a Supreme Being? An invincible existence who stood alone across the nine heavens and ten lands. With a casual gesture, all things submitted—an unparalleled figure who existed almost only in legends.
Yet now, Ye Chu stood within the means left behind by such a being. His legs trembled uncontrollably.
“The Ye family’s founding ancestor followed someone. Don’t you know who?” Ji Die was equally shaken. The light from her jade bracelet seemed insignificant. She stared at the altar ahead, her face pale.
“You mean the Flame Heaven Demon Sovereign?”
Ye Chu sucked in a cold breath. The Flame Heaven Demon Sovereign was a legend—undefeated in his lifetime, once revered across the nine heavens and ten lands, possessing world-destroying might. He was a myth. Yet after achieving the position of Supreme Being, he existed in the world for only a short time before mysteriously vanishing, leaving behind countless legends for the world to remember.
But Ye Chu had never expected the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land to be connected to him. Could this be an unparalleled array left behind by the Flame Heaven Demon Sovereign?
If that were the case, it would not be hard to understand. The methods of a Supreme Being were unfathomable to gods and ghosts. It would not be strange for him to perform some heaven-defying feat.
“No! The Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land existed long before him. The last place he went before disappearing was here. After that, no trace of him was ever found. The Ye family’s founding ancestor came here because he knew the Flame Heaven Demon Sovereign had vanished in this place. He wanted to find a way to expel the will from his body.” Ji Die shook her head. Her stunningly beautiful face remained cold, but Ye Chu could see the tremor in her eyes.
“That’s impossible!” Ye Chu’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest. If even a Supreme Being had entered and never returned, what did that mean? Could there be something in the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land capable of slaying a Supreme Being?
The mere thought made Ye Chu feel as though he were going mad. This was far too shocking—beyond anything he could comprehend.
Ji Die naturally would not explain further. She stepped forward. The array formed by the ten thousand beasts was enormous, spanning hundreds of li. Within it, Ye Chu felt like an ant.
“Hiss… hiss…”
As Ye Chu and Ji Die advanced, a sudden sound rang out in the silent space. It made both their hair stand on end. Without looking back, they turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Both of them used every ounce of strength they had. They dared not glance behind. From the corner of their eyes, they caught glimpses of a monster covered in corpse spots chasing after them. The creature reeked of foul stench. Even from a distance, Ye Chu and Ji Die could smell it.
Ye Chu and Ji Die fled frantically. They knew that anything appearing in such a grand array would be terrifying. This was the core of the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land—a place where even supreme powerhouses had fallen. Encountering a monster here left them with no confidence to fight. Escape was their only option.
“Hiss…”
Ye Chu and Ji Die ran with all their might, holding their breath, and finally shook off the monster. But this brought them no relief. Because right in front of them stood a man in flowing white robes.
If it were a living person, Ye Chu and Ji Die might have breathed a sigh of relief. But the handsome man in white robes before them was no longer human.
His features were refined, his figure tall and straight. Yet his entire body lacked any trace of blood colour. His eyes were hollow and lifeless. He stood there without the slightest sign of vitality—like a corpse.
“Wind Venerable!”
Ji Die cried out in shock. Her body nearly went limp. She stared wide-eyed at the man before her, devoid of any blood.
Ye Chu nearly collapsed to the ground when he heard Ji Die’s exclamation.
“This… this is the Wind Venerable?” Ye Chu had seen the Wind Venerable’s tablet outside. He knew this was an absolute powerhouse. But how could he be here?
“He has actually turned into a corpse spirit!” Ji Die’s cold and stunningly beautiful face was filled with shock. This was something she could not accept.
Who was the Wind Venerable? Back in his day, he had been an unparalleled powerhouse who dominated an entire region. He had entered the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land and vanished. Yet no one could have imagined he had turned into a corpse spirit.
Even in death, such a figure was terrifying beyond measure. Ji Die had no confidence in confronting him. She gripped her jade bracelet tightly. She wanted to retreat, but found her gaze locked by the Wind Venerable.
The Wind Venerable pressed a palm towards Ji Die. As the palm descended, Ye Chu clearly felt as though the heavens and earth were suppressing down—an unparalleled force.
Ji Die’s expression changed drastically. The radiance from her jade bracelet exploded. She drove this Heaven-Earth artifact to its limit, blocking the incoming palm.
Ye Chu felt terror rise in his heart. Could Ji Die’s Heaven-Earth artifact withstand it? If not, they would both die!