Ch. 35 - A World Like This

Inside the brightly lit hall, the eyes of several elders were sharp like lightning, scanning Ye Fan and the others with astonishment.

“Why are your clothes so strange?”

“Why do you keep your hair so short?”

“You are all ordinary people, how did you end up in the Desolate Forbidden Ancient Realm?”

“Why is your language so odd? Where are you from?”

“With your level of strength, how did you get close to the Desolate Abyss and even manage to pick the legendary sacred fruit...”

The elders were very meticulous and persistent, asking question after question, determined to uncover the truth about their origins.

From the other side of the starry sky, tens or even hundreds of light-years away, flying for millions of years still wouldn’t bring them here, how could they possibly say such things aloud? Ye Fan and the others remained silent.

“Why don’t you speak?” one elder’s gaze instantly turned fierce.

“Even if we told you the truth, would you believe us?” Ye Fan looked calmly around the hall and said steadily, “Our homeland is very far from here. We climbed an ancient mountain and suddenly found ourselves on the other side of the world. We don’t know where we are, and we can’t look back.”

The elders exchanged glances. One of them nodded and said, “Understandable. Surely some unparalleled powerhouse laid down a ‘force’ on that ancient mountain, strong enough to darken the sun and moon, shift the stars and sky. But to wield such power is... terrifying!”

Since the elders no longer pressed them, Ye Fan and the others did not mention the nine dragons pulling the coffin, nor that they had crossed the barren universe to the far side of the stars.

At that moment, the copper lamp, bowl, ancient bell, and copper plaque in Ye Fan’s hands caught the attention of the elders.

“This is...”

One elder’s expression became serious as he took the copper lamp from Ye Fan and examined it carefully. After a long time, he sighed and said, “This is crafted with remarkable skill. I suspect the wick once nurtured a ‘divine spark.’ But unfortunately, it’s ruined now, there’s no trace of internal structure.”

Then he examined the bowl, the bell, the plaque, all with a face full of shock and regret, sighing repeatedly: “These were all treasures. How could they all be ruined? All the valuable ‘Dao Runes’ inside are destroyed, there’s no way to study the techniques anymore.”

“How did you acquire these items?” the elders asked. They all looked heartbroken, clearly mourning the loss of such precious artifacts.

At this point, Ye Fan didn’t answer. His earlier words had been watertight, even if Zhou Yi and the others revealed the truth later, his account wouldn't contradict the facts. But this time was different.

Someone followed his lead and replied that these divine relics had been found on the ancient mountain with the mysterious ‘force’ and were kept with them even when they inexplicably entered the Desolate Forbidden Ancient Realm.

Clearly, not only did Ye Fan want to hide the truth about the far side of the stars, but the others also realized the gravity of the matter and stayed quiet.

“I see. That ancient mountain you mentioned is becoming more and more interesting, I really want to go explore it myself,” one elder said with a smile, eyes narrowed. It was unclear whether he was suspicious or genuinely curious.

“Where exactly did you live before? Can you describe the general region?” another elder asked.

Now, everyone was going along with Ye Fan’s fabricated story. A female classmate said they came from the western region.

“The western region? That would mean you’re from the boundless Western Desert...” one elder furrowed his brow and muttered, “To cross from the Western Desert to the Eastern Wilderness is an immense journey. Even flying on a rainbow would take me over thirty years. Just who had the power to lay such a vast and terrifying ‘force’ on that mountain? It’s unimaginable!”

“So this is the Eastern Wilderness we’ve come to,” Zhou Yi seized the opportunity to ask, “How big is the Eastern Wilderness?”

“The Eastern Wilderness is boundless. Even if a mortal could live for dozens of lifetimes, they still wouldn’t be able to walk its entirety.”

“That big?!” Ye Fan and the others looked utterly shocked.

“In the human world, the nation ruling the region around the Desolate Forbidden Ancient Realm is called the ‘State of Yan.’ It stretches two thousand miles north-south and three thousand miles east-west. Yet such a land is just a drop in the ocean within the Eastern Wilderness. There are countless other nations like it.”

Upon hearing this, Pang Bo nearly jumped in shock. What an immense territory! The land of ‘State of Yan’ was so vast, yet within the Eastern Wilderness it was nothing. And there were countless nations of similar size.

The Eastern Wilderness truly was unimaginably vast, so vast it was hard to comprehend.

“How can it be that big?!” Pang Bo’s pupils contracted. He felt that all of this defied logic, it was too unbelievable. But considering even deities existed in this world, he could only shake his head.

The elders, seeing Pang Bo stunned, all smiled kindly. This boy, who looked only eleven or twelve, was one of the “seeds” they planned to cultivate carefully. One elder continued, “Though State of Yan is just a tiny corner of the Eastern Wilderness, it is not insignificant. The Forbidden Realm within its territory is one of the seven great Forbidden Burial Grounds all of the Eastern Wilderness.”

Everyone was speechless for a while. They had gained a wealth of important information and were deeply shaken, an emotional tidal wave surged in their hearts.

“Earlier, you also mentioned the Western Desert, how does it compare to the Eastern Wilderness?” Wang Ziwen, ever attentive to detail, asked the question.

“The Western Desert is roughly the same size as the Eastern Wilderness, equally vast and boundless.”

Upon hearing this definite answer, everyone felt a storm in their hearts. Just how unimaginably massive was this world?

But the most shocking part was yet to come. One elder added, “Eastern Wilderness, Western Desert, Southern Ridge, Northern Reaches and the Heartlands, of them all, the Heartlands are the largest, said to be so vast that even cultivators cannot cross it.”

Everyone was utterly dumbfounded, their mouths dry, unable to speak.

The elders were very pleased and encouraged them: “A mortal’s life is too small, like ants. Most can’t even comprehend the world they live in. But now, you all have the chance to look down upon this vast land. If you’re willing to work hard, one day you may stir the winds and clouds and stand above the world.”

Everyone took a long time to recover. Some were hesitant and said, “We... cultivate?”

“Indeed. Though you lost your youth in the Desolate Forbidden Ancient Realm, the world balances itself. For what you’ve lost, you’ve also gained. The path of cultivation is full of thorns and hardship, but you’ve already begun to open a small path.”

“That’s right. Your ‘Sea of Bitterness’ has already been activated. In the future, it’s not impossible for you to cross it, step onto the ‘Celestial Bridge,’ and find your own Divinity.”

The elders all spoke one after another, encouraging them to embark on the path of cultivation.

“We still don’t know who you are...” Zhou Yi asked at the right moment.

“There are six blessed lands within the State of Yan. Our cultivation site is one of them, though not located here and not within the mortal world,” an elder replied with a smile.

“If the State of Yan is just a drop in the vast ocean of the Eastern Wilderness and even it has six blessed lands, how many cultivating sects must there be in this world...” Pang Bo muttered softly.

It was clear the elders held Ye Fan and Pang Bo in special regard. Instead of showing displeasure, they smiled kindly and said, “Don’t aim too high too soon. A solid foundation is the most important. Our blessed land was passed down from a certain sacred ground, our basic techniques are among the best in the world. And if you truly rise to greatness, we will provide even greater opportunities.”

“Indeed!” another elder added proudly, “Although we’re just a blessed land, we belong to one of the most famous sacred grounds in the Eastern Wilderness. If you prove to be outstanding in the future, you might even be selected to join that sacred ground.”

At this point, the elders affectionately looked toward the girl named Weiwei and said, “Weiwei is the rare genius of our blessed land, one that appears once in a thousand years. She will soon be sent to the sacred ground. We’re reluctant to part with her, but we won’t hold back her cultivation.”

Just then, loud laughter came from outside the hall: “Your ‘blessed land’ won’t do. If you have such promising talent, send them to our ‘grotto-heaven’ instead. I heard you found a dozen great cultivation prospects?”

One after another, more than ten rainbow beams descended from the sky. These people entered the hall uninvited.

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