Rebirth

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they gathered again to discuss their next move, then headed down the mountain, hoping to find signs of human habitation.

After traveling several miles, Lu Chen and the others finally spotted a living creature-not on their mountain, but in the distant sky.

A streak of gold appeared on the horizon. Only when it drew somewhat closer did they recognize it as a bird resembling an eagle.

It soared through the distant sky, its wings spanning dozens of yards. Its entire body looked as though it had been forged from gold, radiating golden divine splendor beneath the sunlight. It looked strikingly like the Golden-Winged Roc of myth and legend.

"Have we really come to the Gods' Return Land?" The roc's appearance startled the group, making them wonder whether they had stepped into a world of myth.

"Perhaps we'll meet legendary gods in this world."

Now, everyone desperately wanted to find people and uncover the truth about this world.

"Look! There's an immortal palace over there," someone said, pointing.

After the Golden-Winged Roc appeared, another astonishing sight emerged. Several mountain peaks away, a vast expanse of ethereal palaces appeared, shrouded in immortal mist, flickering in and out of view. Immense beyond measure, it resembled the legendary abode of immortals and gods.

An immortal palace-the ruins of the Heavenly Court. Lu Chen gazed at the distant palace complex, his thoughts racing as he considered the opportunities and good fortune hidden within.

During the Mythological Era, the Ancient Heavenly Court had stood atop the ninefold heavens, ruling over the boundless universe and reigning supreme throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. It had been the greatest cultivation power since the beginning of this era.

Yet even the greatest lineage would one day fall into decline.

For certain reasons, a war of gods had erupted, and Emperor Zun, Lord of the Heavenly Court, had fought a great battle against the other emperors.

With that, the Heavenly Court collapsed, emperors fell, and the realms descended into chaos!

The heavenly palaces, undying across countless ages, shattered and fell into the mortal world.

Two portions of the Heavenly Court's ruins had fallen onto the Big Dipper. One was the Divine Ruins, one of the Seven Great Life Forbidden Zones whose fearsome reputation cowed the world. It had been the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Ancient Heavenly Court.

The other was the palace complex outside the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land. This portion had housed the Ancient Heavenly Court's pill-refining and artifact-forging districts.

Ancient lore held that only those who emerged alive from the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land could behold that vast heavenly palace. Otherwise, even a mighty Primordial Saint could not see its existence.

At that moment, apart from Lu Chen, Ye Fan and the others had no idea which way to go to find people. After some discussion, they headed toward the immortal palace.

Several hours later, the golden crow sank in the west, and night was approaching. Everyone could only stop and rest where they were.

Otherwise, it would be far too dangerous for a dozen or so ordinary people to travel through dark mountain forests.

Fortunately, they were still within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land and would not be attacked by ferocious birds or beasts. Otherwise, their lives might have been in danger.

No one slept soundly that night. Though no birds or beasts attacked, roars and the sounds of swinging iron chains rose from the Desolate Ancient Abyss, leaving their hearts pounding with fear.

The next day, the sun slowly rose, spilling golden divine radiance and bringing light to all things beneath heaven.

After spending the night in the open within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, everyone set off again, heading into the distance.

After walking for who knew how long, they discovered an intact stone stele in the forest, engraved with four unfamiliar characters.

Through a mixture of deduction and guesswork, they finally made out the words "Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land" and learned the name of this region.

Once we leave the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, we'll have to face the wild beasts of the mountains, Lu Chen thought, tightening his grip on the Vajra Pestle. Though the Buddhist Artifact had lost its mysterious power, it was still his only weapon.

Not long after they left the forbidden land, Liu Yunzhi and his two companions secretly discussed killing Ye Fan and Pang Bo, only for the two to overhear them.

In the end, the conflict between the two sides erupted. With their powerful physiques, Ye Fan and Pang Bo beat Liu Yunzhi and his companions until they lay helpless on the ground, then bound them with vines and threw them into a wild beast's den.

Lu Chen merely watched in silence, never uttering a word. These people were not even casual friends of his; whether they lived or died had nothing to do with him.

Amid a stifling atmosphere, everyone set off again.

Before long, however, the strange power of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land that stripped away vitality began to manifest in their bodies.

Their skin turned red all over, like steel heated until it glowed. Waves of searing pain pierced their marrow and reached into the depths of their souls, as though they were suffering the torment of death by a thousand cuts.

"Rrgh..."

Lu Chen lay facedown on the ground, his hands clawing deep into the soil as low growls of unbearable agony escaped his throat.

Though he had "foreseen" this happening, consumed the Divine Spring and Sacred Fruit, and prepared himself mentally beforehand, the strange power of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land still made him wish he were dead.

"Aah..."

At last, he passed out amid agonized screams. The others were no exception, all losing consciousness in excruciating pain.

At a glance, everyone lay scattered haphazardly through the mountain forest, their bodies undergoing rapid changes.

Two hours later, Lu Chen slowly awoke beneath a large tree.

"Damn it, I never want to go through that pain again!"

After muttering a curse, he raised his hands before his eyes and examined them closely. His skin had become translucent and lustrous as jade, enough to make any woman jealous.

He felt over the rest of his body and found that his build had not changed much. His clothes and shoes still fit. Only his skin had improved, while his body seemed to hold an inexhaustible supply of strength.

He found his backpack nearby and took out his phone to look at his face.

He now looked around eighteen again, with handsome features and bright, lively eyes that seemed to hold stars within them.

He had already been fairly good-looking, but after the cleansing of the Divine Spring and Sacred Fruit, he had undergone a complete transformation, as though reborn. He could now truly be called extraordinarily handsome, brimming with youthful vigor.

"On the path, a man like jade; in all the world, a young gentleman without equal. Is that what I look like now?" Lu Chen touched his face with a hint of vanity and murmured softly.

After examining his own changes, he walked around the area. Ye Fan and Pang Bo had changed even more than he had, reverting to around eleven or twelve years old and becoming two adorable boys who looked carved from jade.

As for the others, men and women alike had been robbed of decades, becoming elderly men and women in their seventies or eighties. Their youthful beauty had truly withered in the snap of a finger.

Why did I wake up before Ye Fan and Pang Bo? Could it be because of the Bodhi Leaves?

Logically, Ye Fan's Desolate Ancient Sacred Body and Pang Bo's Demon God Bloodline were both far stronger than Lu Chen's constitution. They could endure more and should have awakened before him.

But the Bodhi Tree was a wisdom tree that could awaken a person's divine nature, its effects leaning more toward the soul. Though he had eaten only a few leaves, they possessed inconceivable efficacy for a mortal, which was why Lu Chen had awakened sooner.

The Big Dipper, the Golden Age... Since I've come to this world, can I shine with a brilliant light of my own in an age when countless stars blaze?

At that moment, Lu Chen pondered what path he should take from here onward.

With a constitution tempered by the Bodhi Leaves, Divine Spring, and Sacred Fruit he had consumed, he should probably rank among the talented on the path of immortal cultivation.

But to secure a place in a great age where monstrous talents gathered-or even contend for the supreme imperial throne, prove his Dao, and aspire to immortality-that was likely still far from enough.