Chapter 1640: Chapter 1510: Exploring the Primal Mining Zone

An hour later, Ye Fan left the West District.

"How did it go, little brother? Did you manage to negotiate, or get ruthlessly exploited by that old geezer?" the host of the Stone House warmly greeted as Ye Fan passed by.

"Not too bad, he charged me fifty pounds of mid-grade spirit stones, we set off in three days!"

Ye Fan replied, having a decent impression of this host, unlike those deceitful merchants with honeyed words.

"Although the price is steep, it wasn’t too ruthless."

The Stone House’s owner enthusiastically recommended, "Since you’ve decided to explore the Forbidden Zone, you must buy a Stone Robe from me. It is made from stone skin peeled off Heaven Grade Spirit Stones, capable of isolating primordial essence and warding off evil, making it the best armor for entering the Forbidden Zone."

"Oh?"

Listening to the host, Ye Fan was quite tempted. Having thoroughly studied the Dragon Seeking Formulas, he knew the uniqueness of stone skin peeled from Heaven Grade Spirit Stones, indeed capable of isolating primordial essence and warding off evil. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The preciousness of spirit stones lies not only in their creation during ancient times when Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi liquefied and solidified into Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, but also their rarity.

Spirit stones are encased in layers of stone skin, much like jade on Earth. The stone skin isolates any aura, and even the most advanced equipment can’t detect whether a piece of stone contains jade.

Similarly, spirit stones are the same; although the Xuan Realm lacks high-tech equipment, another path has been opened—the divine consciousness of cultivators and the Martial Arts Heavenly Eye can see through illusions but not stone skin. Wrapped in stone skin, no matter how great your cultivation, without cutting it open, you can’t know if there are spirit stones inside, let alone any Immortal Treasures.

After some bargaining, Ye Fan finally spent fifty pounds of spirit stones to purchase a Stone Robe.

Just as he stored the Stone Robe into his Space Spiritual Artifact, Ye Fan heard the roaring of Xuan Beasts outside, followed by a team charging past as if experiencing an earthquake.

These were a group of young people, all appearing in their twenties, riding powerful Xuan Beasts that shook the ground as they rushed down the street.

As these young people flashed past, Ye Fan distinctly saw the gold "Gu" character embroidered on their clothes; they were from the Ancient Emperor Family.

"The Di Clan is really arrogant! Even the youngsters are so brazen!" Ye Fan said with a smile.

"Well, there’s nothing we can do; the Ancient Emperor Family is a local tyrant in the Northern Domain, nobody dares mess with them. They used to be very low-profile, but lately, they’ve been emerging, strutting around like they’re invincible."

The host shared Ye Fan’s sentiments and was in a great mood having made a sale, sharing an important piece of information—people from the Ancient Emperor Family have come forth and are currently in Du City.

Three days later, Ye Fan and Shi Ye, Hu Fei, Wenren Jing arrived in front of Liu Da’s dilapidated house in the West City District, where seven or eight people were already waiting, mostly young.

Hu Fei, Shi Ye, and Wenren Jing all skillfully concealed their true appearances using divine skills; otherwise, the descendants of the Nine Great Bandits in the Northern Domain, with their obvious marks, would be too easily recognized.

They marveled at Ye Fan’s strange technique that changed appearance from within, with Hu Fei persistently asking Ye Fan to teach him a few tricks.

"This secret technique seems designed for wrongdoing. If I master it, won’t the spirit stone mines of the Holy Land and Di Clan be available for me to rob? No one would discover me!"

Hu Fei’s words left Ye Fan amused and exasperated. He practiced such strange techniques not for wrongdoing but to evade those hunting him, as possessing an Emperor Weapon made him a coveted target, drawing everyone wanting a piece of him. He had to be cautious.

"It’s been over half a month, and we finally have enough people."

Liu Da puffed on his tobacco pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke as he spoke, "Just to be clear, I’m only guiding, you bear your own life and death. Should anything unforeseen occur, it has nothing to do with me."

"Got it; this isn’t the first time you’ve said that. Let’s get going!"

"It’s truly bizarre, an ancient mine abandoned for who knows how many years—not a beauty, what’s there to see? Every year, plenty lose their lives in there." Liu Da muttered softly,

Some took offense, saying, "Master Ma, can you avoid saying something ominous? It feels like we’re rushing to our deaths."

"Alright, here’s to our safe and smooth journey!" Liu Da said no more, leading the way out of the city.

Liu Da never delegated this task; he always took charge himself, as it was too dangerous, and he didn’t trust anyone else.

Just after leaving the city gates, Ye Fan saw those young people from the Gu family again, hastily riding their Xuan Beasts away. The herd of Xuan Beasts kicked up a cloud of dust, making those heading to the Primordial Ancient Mine glower.

"The Gu family is too arrogant; do they think this is their private paradise?"

"Shh, keep it down. Those are people from the Ancient Emperor Family; provoke them and it could bring disaster."

Among the departing group, a few glanced back, one smiling coldly, "Disaster comes from the mouth; manage your tongues."

With that, they didn’t stop, rushing away.

"The damn Di Clan thinks it’s so great? Isn’t the Ling Family also a Di Clan? They were still scared silent by a little cultivator named Ye." someone grumbled, but only dared whisper after the group was gone.

Upon hearing this, Hu Fei and the others couldn’t help but chuckle, glancing towards Ye Fan.

```

Ye Fan noticed that among these people, there was a young man named Huai Gu who was very calm, as if nothing had happened. This kind of composure was extraordinary.

Liu Da and his companions, seasoned as they were from spending half a lifetime in this area, led the group through twists and turns, successfully circumventing the blockade zones of the major Holy Lands and Di Clan, and entered via a secret passage.

The group walked and stopped intermittently, traveling through vast uninhabited areas over several days, crossing boundless deserts, until Liu Da brought them to the outskirts of the Primordial Ancient Mine.

Here, they were less than a thousand miles from the edge of the so-called Primordial Ancient Mine. They had reached the legendary Forbidden Zone of Life.

"You can only advance another five hundred miles, otherwise, you’ll be in danger. You must control yourselves, don’t act on impulse, and especially don’t speak recklessly. Talking recklessly here can be deadly," Liu Da cautioned solemnly.

In this place, there’s nothing. The ground is blood-red, as if soaked with fresh blood. It’s been like this since ancient times, with desolation as the eternal theme. Gravel covers the ground, and the occasional stone mountain is as red as blood, as silent as a tombstone.

"This is truly a godforsaken place. You can’t even see a ghost, let alone any living thing!" someone exclaimed.

"Don’t speak recklessly!" Liu Da reprimanded them harshly.

"Is it necessary? There’s nothing here, what’s the harm in saying a few words? Are ghosts really going to come out and eat us?" A young man voiced his dissatisfaction, thinking they were being overly cautious.

"Get lost. Here’s your Spirit Stone, don’t follow us anymore. I don’t want everyone to die because of you!" Liu Da took out a hundred pounds of Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and threw it at the young man, showing his firm resolve.

"What do you mean?"

The young man’s face changed dramatically. Remembering the terrifying legends about the Primordial Ancient Mine, he was no longer calm.

"I’ve made myself very clear. Our group doesn’t need a troublemaker like you. We’re already inside, so you can go on your adventure alone!" Liu Da’s tone was hard, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Come on, let’s cool down. We’re almost at our destination, let’s all say a little less," someone nearby advised.

Liu Da said coldly, "I’m doing this for your own good. Speaking recklessly in this area can be deadly."

"Is it really that serious?" The nearby people were skeptical.

Liu Da let out a cold snort and said, "Two years ago, because someone in the group spoke recklessly, it caused a disaster. In the end, only three others and I survived out of more than twenty people."

Ye Fan understood that Liu Da was speaking the truth, because in such places, unexplained and ominous occurrences could happen, otherwise, it wouldn’t be called the Forbidden Zone of Life.

A vast and desolate land extended as far as the eye could see, entirely crimson, with no end in sight. Occasionally, dust storms arose, giving an extraordinarily barren impression, with no signs of life whatsoever.

Everyone exchanged glances, all startled by what Liu Da had just said.

The young man who just spoke clearly didn’t believe it and sneered, "We are all cultivators, are we really afraid of demons and ghosts? I believe, as long as we don’t go deeper into the Forbidden Zone of Life, nothing bad will happen outside."

"Get lost! Otherwise, I’ll kill you to prevent you from leading everyone into danger." Liu Da’s murderous aura surged, directly throwing Spirit Stones at the young man.

"Alright, everyone, stop speaking recklessly. Let’s continue forward," someone placated.

"Alright, I admit I was wrong. Is it okay if I don’t speak anymore?" The young man felt a chill upon seeing Liu Da’s intent to kill.

"Remember, no one is allowed to speak recklessly!"

Liu Da’s face was grim as he especially warned that young man, "If you dare speak recklessly again, I’ll be the first to eliminate you."

"You’re being too tyrannical! We’re hiring you as a guide, not to be lectured by you," the young man retorted angrily.

"Fine, everyone just say less!"

Hu Fei stepped in to mediate. Being from the Northern Domain, he understood more about the ominous nature of the Primordial Ancient Mine than most and naturally knew better than to speak recklessly.

Liu Da let out a heavy humph and distanced himself from the young man, avoiding him like the plague and refusing to walk alongside him.

"Ye Zi, Wild Man, Second Brother, make sure to stay close to this old man, and don’t make any mistakes," Hu Fei transmitted to Ye Fan and his companions.

Without his reminder, Ye Fan and the others naturally knew to stay close behind Liu Da, keeping a distance from the young man who spoke recklessly.

He came to search for the traces of the first-generation Earth Master, not to court death. Staying with that indiscreet young man would only eventually lead to bad luck.

At this time, he noticed that the young man named Huai Gu also stayed close to Liu Da, consciously or unconsciously distancing himself from the young man arguing with Liu Da.

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