Ye Xuan snapped out of his intoxicated state in an instant. After all, there were still many taboos at his side, and this was an Ancient Forbidden Land whose degree of danger was unknown; he still had to act with extreme caution.

"What an Ancient Forbidden Land!"

"Heaven and Earth’s Primordial Qi, Laws filling the sky—good, very good."

...

The many taboos exclaimed in excitement. Faced with these Ancient Ruins left behind from ages past, their hearts were filled with boundless yearning, and even greater reverence.

Boom!

Suddenly, just as everyone was sighing with emotion, a loud crash came from behind, accompanied by a figure rushing in.

"Hm?"

The abrupt anomaly made all the taboos and Ye Xuan look toward the newcomer, but when Ye Xuan saw who had appeared, his expression instantly turned vicious and terrifying.

The Undying Heavenly Lord?

Ye Xuan practically couldn’t believe his own eyes. He had clearly put the Undying Heavenly Lord to death just now—how could the other possibly escape from the restriction left behind by an Ancient Times powerhouse?

It wasn’t just Ye Xuan who couldn’t believe it; the other taboos also had looks of shock and uncertainty. They knew better than anyone how terrifying those grand prohibitions were; the Undying Heavenly Lord simply could not have survived.

The Undying Heavenly Lord is strange!

Ye Xuan stared with a sinister gaze as a chilling thought flashed through his heart.

Ye Xuan was ten thousand percent certain that the Undying Heavenly Lord absolutely could not have escaped on his own. For him to break out of the grand prohibition left by an Ancient Times powerhouse, there had to be someone helping him.

Moreover, if Ye Xuan remembered correctly, the Bronze Ancient Gate had already closed when they entered the Ancient Forbidden Land.

Even if the Undying Heavenly Lord had escaped the grand prohibition, how could he have pushed open the Ancient Times portal a second time?

The next moment, Ye Xuan arrived at a definite answer.

Someone was helping the Undying Heavenly Lord, and this person was unimaginably terrifying. Otherwise, there was no way they could have saved the Undying, let alone sent him into the Ancient Forbidden Land.

"Ye Xuan!"

The Undying Heavenly Lord’s face was cold, a growling curse coming from his mouth, but with careful observation, one would notice that his gaze toward Ye Xuan carried immense dread.

The source of this dread did not come from Ye Xuan’s venomous methods, but from the warning ’Prison’ had given him, which left him increasingly helpless when it came to Ye Xuan.

He wanted to kill Ye Xuan.

But he wasn’t stupid.

From the wording between the lines of ’Prison,’ he could fully hear that Ye Xuan’s identity was anything but simple, absolutely not someone he could get involved with, much less someone he could personally kill.

"You do have some ability. No wonder they call you the Undying Heavenly Lord—you really are undying." Ye Xuan said blandly.

"Ye Xuan, there’s no need for more nonsense. We’ll see."

The Undying Heavenly Lord replied coldly, then turned into a streak of Death Light and shot away, not lingering in the slightest.

"Interesting."

Ye Xuan’s eyes were deep as he watched the Undying Heavenly Lord’s figure disappear into the distance. The other actually hadn’t made a move against him—this was extremely abnormal.

One had to know the Undying Heavenly Lord wished for nothing more than to grind his bones to dust. He had just been plotted against and framed by Ye Xuan; vengeance should have been his first priority at this moment, yet he had instead chosen to leave.

What is his goal?

At this moment, Ye Xuan’s thoughts raced, and he could already sense something was off.

The Undying Heavenly Lord definitely had some purpose unknown to him, and this purpose absolutely was not killing him for revenge. As for what purpose it was, Ye Xuan couldn’t yet guess, but it certainly had something to do with this Ancient Forbidden Land.

"Everyone, the Ancient Forbidden Land is the remnant left after the collapse of the Ancient Times. It retains the Primordial Qi of the Ancient Times, and within it are nurtured countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. This is also our opportunity."

The Eternal Shadow spoke first. As a very ancient being, he understood the Ancient Forbidden Land fairly well.

"The opportunities you all seek are here. Whether you can obtain them depends on your own abilities. I’ll be going on ahead."

Boom!

The Eternal Shadow took a single step and instantly fled toward the distance. Clearly, there were benefits in this Ancient Forbidden Land beyond imagination, and everyone wanted to be a step ahead.

"Everyone, farewell."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The many taboos shot away one after another and vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only Ye Xuan and the Heartless One still standing there.

"Where is the eleventh Small Cauldron you mentioned?"

As the various taboos departed, Ye Xuan turned to look at the Heartless One, directly voicing what was on his mind. The eleventh Small Cauldron was something he was determined to obtain.

"Within the Ancient Divine Mountain," the Heartless One said bluntly.

"The Ancient Divine Mountain?"

Ye Xuan was slightly taken aback, for he did not understand the Ancient Forbidden Land, and this so‑called Ancient Divine Mountain was something he was hearing of for the first time.

"Listen and I’ll explain slowly," the Heartless One said.

The Ancient Divine Mountain was the most important place within the Ancient Forbidden Land. Legend had it that it was also the only Divine Mountain left from the Ancient Times.

The entire Ancient Divine Mountain was divided into nine‑nine, eighty‑one Divine Palaces. Each palace contained the inheritance of an Ancient Times Daoist lineage, and within them were unimaginable opportunities.

The eleventh Small Cauldron was within the Ancient Divine Mountain and might appear in one of the palaces.

Nine is the extreme; nine‑nine, eighty‑one is the extreme of extremes!

Every nine Divine Palaces formed a threshold. If someone could enter the eighty‑first palace, they would be able to control the entire Ancient Divine Mountain and even become the master of the Ancient Forbidden Land.

Of course, this was only a legend; whether it was true or not was unknown.

But one point was very likely true: if someone really managed to break through all the Divine Palaces, they would definitely obtain an extraordinary opportunity, perhaps inheriting the strongest legacy of the Ancient Times, or even some heaven‑defying fortune that had been left behind.

"Where is the Ancient Divine Mountain?" Ye Xuan’s heart thumped, his gaze burning as he looked at the Heartless One.

"The Divine Mountain cannot be seen. There is no fixed method of entry. Perhaps a lake, perhaps an old tree, or perhaps just a single stone—any of these could be a portal into the Ancient Divine Mountain," the Heartless One said.

Hearing this, Ye Xuan suddenly understood. No wonder those taboos had left so quickly—it seemed they were going to search for the portal into the Ancient Divine Mountain.

"Ye Xuan, let us part ways here. If you truly enter the Ancient Divine Mountain, you and I can join forces to face enemies and break through the palaces. The eleventh Small Cauldron will be yours to take. I can even help you seize it. But in return, you must also lend me a hand to obtain what I desire," the Heartless One said solemnly.

"This is a transaction between you and me. That naturally isn’t a problem," Ye Xuan said with a slight smile.

"Good. Then I’ll wait for you in the Ancient Divine Mountain."

Whoosh!

The Heartless One gave Ye Xuan a deep look, then turned into a streak of Death Light and disappeared.

"Human Dao, we’ll act separately. You must be careful in all things. After all, this is our first time here; we’re not as familiar with this place as those old fellows."

With the Heartless One gone, Ye Xuan cautioned the Lord of Human Dao. If the two of them traveled together, they would lose one chance to search for an entrance to the Ancient Divine Mountain.

Acting separately was the best choice.

"Alright."

The Lord of Human Dao nodded, agreeing with Ye Xuan’s decision. After the two exchanged a few more words, they parted ways and went their separate paths.

...

Heaven and Earth’s Primordial Qi surged in boundless torrents.

Upon that vast, limitless land of Ancient Ruins, Ye Xuan turned into a streak of light as he sped along. Towering ancient trees that reached into the sky flashed past him one after another, and the howling wind roared with terrifying force.