Forbidden Zone
Shrouding the Heavens: The Immeasurable DaoContents
- 1Biodata
- 2Nature and Inhabitants
- 3Known Forbidden Zones
- 3.1Northern Sea Forbidden Zone
- 3.2Flying Immortal Forbidden Zones
- 3.3Underworld
- 3.4Territories Not Yet Converted into Forbidden Zones
- 4History
- 4.1Earlier Conflicts
- 4.2He Mu’s Rise
- 4.3The Ziwei Dark Turmoil
- 4.4Flying Immortal’s Compensation
- 4.5Continuing Threat
Contents
- 1Biodata
- 2Nature and Inhabitants
- 3Known Forbidden Zones
- 3.1Northern Sea Forbidden Zone
- 3.2Flying Immortal Forbidden Zones
- 3.3Underworld
- 3.4Territories Not Yet Converted into Forbidden Zones
- 4History
- 4.1Earlier Conflicts
- 4.2He Mu’s Rise
- 4.3The Ziwei Dark Turmoil
- 4.4Flying Immortal’s Compensation
- 4.5Continuing Threat
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Forbidden Zone (禁区) |
| Alias(es) | Life Forbidden Zone |
| Type | Restricted territory inhabited by ancient Supremes 17 23 |
| Locations | Across the universe, including Ziwei’s North Sea, Feixian Ancient Star, and the Underworld’s Netherland 2 23 46 |
| Inhabitants | Forbidden Zone Supremes, including ancient Dao Attainers who severed their own cultivation to survive beyond their original lifetimes 17 25 |
| Purpose | Seclusion and prolonged survival while awaiting an opportunity to attain immortality 23 25 |
| Status | Still occupied during He Mu’s reign; deterred, but not collectively destroyed, by his suppression of the Dark Turmoil 28 30 43 |
| First Appearance | Ancient inhabitants observe He Mu’s Path-Proving Tribulation 1 |
Nature and Inhabitants
- Origins: Extreme Dao Supremes establish forbidden zones in their twilight years after severing their own cultivation. Their continued existence allows them to await the Road to Immortality 23 25.
- Preservation: Residents can seal themselves within immortal source. Once they break free, their remaining lifespans drain rapidly; without replenishment, they may be unable to seal themselves again 23.
- Long dormancy: Forbidden zones can remain undisturbed for tens of thousands of years. Their inhabitants nevertheless possess divine senses capable of observing battles across the cosmos 17 23.
- Ultimate sublimation: A Self-Slashed Supreme’s final recourse restores the power of a whole, flawless Heavenly Venerable by burning their remaining lifespan. It is used for decisive battles and attempts to storm the path to immortality 26.
- Dark Turmoil: Some residents seek to prolong their lives by harvesting the vital essence of living beings. Aging Heavenly Venerables who previously restrained them are especially vulnerable to their retaliation 23 25.
- Not uniformly hostile: The Mythological Era’s Underworld generally avoids worldly conflicts. He Mu also distinguishes merely establishing a forbidden zone from slaughtering living beings to sustain its inhabitants 25 46.
Known Forbidden Zones
Northern Sea Forbidden Zone
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | Ziwei’s northernmost region, centered on the North Sea Eye 2 |
| Reputation | Ziwei’s most terrifying Life Forbidden Zone, with a reputation built upon bloodstained accounts spanning tens of thousands of years 2 |
| Exterior | An ink-black ocean with roaring waves and surging Guixu power; religious orders call it the negative pole of heaven and earth, “Xuanming Return to the Ruins” 2 |
| Interior | An ancient cavern overflowing with Immortal Essence, sharply contrasting with the destructive conditions outside 3 |
| Known resident | Longevity Heavenly Venerable, whose true body resides within the cavern when He Mu first visits 3 |
- Legends describe the North Sea as a site where demons were slain, an immortal fell, or gods were imprisoned and exiled 2.
- According to Longevity Heavenly Venerable, the Immortal Corpse emerged at the North Sea Eye during Daode’s era and devoured the vital essence of several star domains before Daode suppressed it 4.
Flying Immortal Forbidden Zones
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | Feixian Ancient Star in the Flying Immortal Star Domain 23 |
| Number | At least five Life Forbidden Zones 23 |
| Population | A double-digit number of Self-Slashed Supremes 23 27 |
| Reason for settlement | Ancient Supremes jointly deduced that the star would become an Immortal Ascension Ground, where the Road to Immortality would open millions of years later 23 |
| Effect on the star | The resident Supremes’ presence brings heavenly blessings, low-hanging Daos, and openly manifesting laws, making Feixian an exceptional cultivation sanctuary 23 |
- Despite its cultivation conditions, Feixian has few inhabitants, secluded sects, and only a handful of low-profile lineages rumored to have produced Heavenly Venerables 23.
- Its forbidden zones collectively negotiate with He Mu through a Supreme’s Dao Body acting as their spokesman 28.
Underworld
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | The vast Netherland, whose origins predate the Mythological Era 46 |
| Founder of the current lineage | Netherworld Venerable Duan De, the second-life enlightened Dao Body of Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable Cao Yusheng 44 |
| Environment | Endless black earth beneath a blood moon, populated by fighting walking dead and cultivating yin soldiers 46 |
| Known rulers | Lunzhuan Supreme; Longevity Heavenly Venerable later becomes one of its rulers 44 47 |
| Distinctive pursuit | The Reincarnation Great Dao, associated with Netherworld Venerable’s path of gathering Nine-Life Reincarnation Seals to become an immortal 44 47 |
- In this era, the Underworld resembles a Supreme Dao Field more than an aggressively predatory forbidden zone. Its venerables usually sleep through events outside the Netherland 44 46.
- Practices such as commandeering roads with yin soldiers, destroying worlds with yellow springs, and collecting kingly blood are almost absent 46.
- An exception occurred when an Underworld Supreme collected the Immortal Corpse after Yuanshi’s demise. Lunzhuan was asleep during the incident, and Lingbao ultimately resolved it 46 47.
Territories Not Yet Converted into Forbidden Zones
- Undying Mountain: Although associated with countless dark turmoils in later history, it has not begun that history when He Mu discovers and claims it as his sanctuary 14.
- Immortal Mausoleum: Daode’s residence, like He Mu’s Undying Mountain, lies within the chaos beyond the universe. Outsiders have been unable to locate and occupy these sites as Life Forbidden Zones 40.
History
Earlier Conflicts
Forbidden zones had long threatened reigning Heavenly Venerables. Accounts describe rulers who fought them only to capitulate or perish; Daode, Yuanshi, and Lingbao’s burdens from resisting the Immortal Dao Turmoil prevented their potential suppression of the zones from becoming reality 26.
A Forbidden Zone Supreme also participated in the sabotage of Lingbao’s attempted transformation. One of Lingbao’s disciples, corrupted by black qi, damaged the Immortal Platform Grand Formation and joined the Supreme in attacking him. Lingbao defeated the attackers and sealed his surviving disciples away to protect them from further retaliation 42.
He Mu’s Rise
Ancient beings within the forbidden zones observed He Mu’s attainment of the Dao and questioned whether his rise would endanger their plans. Shortly afterward, Longevity invited him into the North Sea Eye to discuss an opportunity involving the immortal Dao 1 2 3.
He Mu’s battle with Demon Shadow awakened dormant Supremes, whose divine senses watched the confrontation. The battle instilled considerable wariness in the zones. Later, even the extraordinary phenomena of He Mu’s cultivation at Undying Mountain failed to persuade a Self-Slashed Supreme to investigate in person 17 21 26.
The Ziwei Dark Turmoil
After a failed attempt to rise above the Heavenly Heart cost him at least fifteen hundred years of lifespan, He Mu learned that forbidden zones were watching for weakness. He deliberately amplified signs of his impending death to draw hostile residents out of seclusion 22.
Divine Flame Supreme, Chaos Supreme, and Demon Sound Supreme emerged from Feixian’s forbidden zones. They attacked Ziwei to force He Mu to appear, with one coveting his true blood. Ziwei’s grand formation and the Wuliang Dao Wheel initially protected its inhabitants 23 25.
He Mu revealed the deception, condemned the three for intending to harvest living beings, and carried the battle to the Cosmic Frontier. Even after all three underwent ultimate sublimation, he defeated and killed them. The other Life Forbidden Zones fell silent as the Dark Turmoil ended 25 26.
Flying Immortal’s Compensation
He Mu then confronted Feixian’s five forbidden zones and demanded compensation. When one resident threatened him, He Mu shattered the formations protecting that Supreme’s immortal cavern and nearly destroyed its mountain 27.
He nevertheless avoided forcing a collective war: Flying Immortal alone retained a double-digit number of Supremes, and such a conflict could engulf the universe’s living beings. Negotiations ended with the zones surrendering the White Tiger Immortal Medicine and a block of feathered green gold 27 28 29.
Continuing Threat
For the eight hundred years following He Mu’s victories, the universe remained peaceful. When he began his second-life transformation, the Supremes considered investigating but abandoned the idea for fear of provoking him 29 30.
After his rebirth, He Mu respected his agreement with Flying Immortal rather than seeking another confrontation without its residents emerging first. The zones remained a strategic danger, however: a coalition with Black Qi could field a double-digit number of Supreme-level opponents, forcing He Mu and Lingbao to keep Lingbao’s return secret 31 43.
The Lingbao Lineage’s hostility persisted as well. At Jade Roaming Palace, Golden Spirit Holy Mother initially assumed He Mu came from a forbidden zone, and the disciples immediately strengthened their defensive formation 50.