Divine Medicine

"There are mountains and rivers here! We're saved!"

"We finally escaped that damned coffin!"

"Ah..." Someone threw back their head and shouted.

"Hahaha..." Someone laughed as though they had been reborn.

"I can see the sun again!"

Everyone scrambled out of the Bronze Giant Coffin. At the sight of green mountains, clear waters, and brilliant sunshine, they shouted excitedly, venting all the emotions they had kept bottled up.

"A new world, a new journey through life." Unable to contain his excitement either, Lu Chen spread his arms to embrace the sky, basking in the bright sunshine and breathing the fresh air.

Gleaming with an ominous black luster, nine dragon corpses had pulled the ancient Bronze Giant Coffin across the boundless universe, carrying a group of people drawn together by unseen fate, along with a visitor from another space-time, to the Other Shore of the Starry Sky.

Once their excitement subsided, everyone finally calmed down and began examining this unfamiliar world.

A breeze brushed past, bringing the scent of earth and the fragrance of grass and trees to their faces. This was a bright world brimming with life.

They stood atop a tall mountain, with a clear view into the distance.

Eight similar peaks stood farther away, forming a circle with this one. At their center lay an enormous abyss, its depths pitch-black as ink. Even sunlight could not reach the bottom. It seemed capable of devouring the mind, as though it were an entrance leading to hell.

Clang!

Suddenly, the Bronze Giant Coffin behind them slammed shut, drawing everyone's attention. They all turned to look.

Half the bodies of the nine black dragon corpses hung below the Mountain Cliff. Now they were slowly dragging the Bronze Giant Coffin down toward the abyss.

Rumble!

Within just a few breaths, the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin slid completely off the summit, crashing against the mountainside with a thunderous rumble before disappearing into the dark abyss.

The Desolate Forbidden Zone, the Ruthless Great Emperor! Lu Chen cautiously approached the cliff's edge and peered down, hoping to glimpse the forbidden domain of life that terrified the world. Unfortunately, all he could see was a vast black hole.

"With terrain like this, could it be a volcano?" the others speculated as they surveyed the landscape.

The deep valley encircled by the nine peaks was a bottomless pit, closely resembling the volcanoes on Earth.

"Who cares what kind of mountain it is? There are flowers, grass, and trees here. It's a world we can survive in," Pang Bo said.

Ye Fan nodded. "We just don't know what kind of world this is. Did the sages of antiquity ever come here?"

"That's something to worry about later. Let's deal with our immediate problems first!" Lu Chen smiled and headed behind a nearby thicket, leaving his "great mark" in this terrifying Life Forbidden Zone.

The others also found places to relieve themselves. After all, nature called for everyone, and they had been holding it in for seven or eight hours inside the bronze coffin.

After relieving himself, Lu Chen looked into the abyss, inwardly amused. In hundreds of thousands of years, we're probably the only people who've dared to shit and piss in a Life Forbidden Zone!

Having expelled the waste from their bodies, everyone naturally had to address the problem of their stomachs.

Some had brought snacks and quietly ate them in secluded spots, while others took theirs out to share with close friends.

Those who had brought no food set off in groups of two or three, searching for edible wild fruit. With such lush vegetation covering the mountain, there should be no shortage of wild fruits and melons.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo had brought no food, but on Mars, they had wrapped several Little Divine Crocodile corpses in clothing to keep for an emergency.

Of course, they would not eat them unless they had no other choice. Now the two of them headed toward the distant thickets in search of something edible.

Seeing this, Lu Chen hurried after them. "Ye Fan, Pang Bo, I'll come with you."

Although he knew that Sacred Medicine and a Divine Spring could be found on this mountain, they belonged to someone. The Ruthless Great Emperor had planted them.

Even if he found them himself, what if something happened while he picked them? Or a Desolate Slave appeared outright? He would surely have to sing "Gone Cold" then.

"Sure." Ye Fan nodded without objection. Although they had only just met, having another person along in this wild forest meant another person to watch their backs.

Lu Chen came over, opened his backpack, and took out two boxes of biscuits, giving one to each of them. He had not brought much food for his trip to Mount Tai, since he could buy whatever he needed there.

"There are trees, flowers, and grass everywhere here. Why aren't there any animals or birds?" Walking through the thickets, Pang Bo looked around in puzzlement.

Ye Fan also scanned their surroundings and listened intently, but he could not hear so much as an insect. "With vegetation this lush, even if there were no animals, we should at least see a few birds. Yet there isn't even the sound of insects. It looks like this isn't a good place."

Forget animals. Not even an ant would dare come here. Lu Chen knew all too well how terrifying the forbidden zone was.

The strange power of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land could strip the life force from every living creature, reducing anyone who entered to dust in an instant.

The only reason Lu Chen, Ye Fan, and the other dozen or so mortals could wander so leisurely through the forbidden zone was that its master-the Ruthless Great Emperor or the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body-had suppressed the strange power that stole life force.

Otherwise, never mind frail mortals-even a Primordial Saint capable of plucking stars and seizing the moon would become a pile of white bones within moments of entering.

After passing through several patches of forest, the three came upon a Spring Pool. It looked only about a meter square, and its water bubbled forth like the sweet nectar of life.

Thirteen small trees grew around the Spring Pool. Their trunks stood less than a meter tall, and their branches and leaves were so vividly green they seemed carved from natural jade.

The leaves had a peculiar shape, closely resembling human palms. This made the thirteen little trees look like thirteen little people standing guard around the Spring Pool.

At the top of each little tree grew just one fruit. They resembled cherries, bright red and as large as longans.

While still more than ten meters away, the three caught a rich, fragrant fruit scent that nearly made their mouths water.

The Divine Spring and Sacred Fruit that can restore youth and transform the body down to its very bones!

At that moment, Lu Chen's eyes all but blazed with light. This was divine medicine that even immortals who could soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth dreamed of obtaining, yet it was right before him, within easy reach.

Fortunately, he remained clearheaded. He knew who had the final say here, and that he could only bask in someone else's good fortune.

Only because Ye Fan was present had the two masters of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land tacitly allowed them to pick the divine medicine.

Walking up to a little tree, Pang Bo eyed its brilliant red fruit hungrily, but did not immediately pick it. "These... fruits are almost unnaturally vivid. Could they be poisonous?"

"It's hard to judge something we've never seen before." Ye Fan rubbed his hands together, also hesitating over whether to eat one.

"They probably aren't poisonous. I'll try one first." Lu Chen had no such reservations. He reached out, picked one, and put it in his mouth.

With one gentle bite, the glistening red divine fruit broke open. Streams of rich fragrance flowed through his internal organs and spread throughout his body, instantly leaving him feeling a hundred times more invigorated.

"Full of juice, overflowing with fragrance, and absolutely delicious." Lu Chen closed his eyes, savoring the delectable Sacred Fruit.

"Brother, is it really that good?" Seeing his reaction, Pang Bo carefully picked one too and ate it.

At the same time, Ye Fan also picked a divine fruit and began eating it with relish.

"It's delicious!" Both praised it just as enthusiastically.

Soon, all thirteen Sacred Fruits had ended up in their stomachs. Ye Fan and Pang Bo had eaten five each.

Lu Chen had eaten only three. Naturally, he had done so deliberately, knowing where to draw the line.

After all, the Ruthless Great Emperor or the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body down in the abyss might be watching them right now. He would do well to know his place, lest he displease such a mighty figure.

After finishing the Sacred Fruits, the three drank their fill from the Spring Pool and felt all their exhaustion melt away. They then filled the few mineral-water bottles they carried before returning to where the bronze coffin had fallen.

The others also returned one after another. Judging by their appearances, most had found something to eat. With such abundant vegetation, there was bound to be no shortage of wild fruit and the like.

Only, the one Sacred Fruit that had originally belonged to Zhang Wenchang and the two that had belonged to Liu Yiyi had now been taken by Lu Chen.