Departure! A choice
The next morning!
Inside the great hall...
"Chen'er, it's time you went out to gain experience. You should set foot in the Immortal Domain!" Di Yuan said slowly. Di Chen was no longer so young!!! It was time for him to temper himself in the outside world.
The Dark Forbidden Zone was a space opened up by the first patriarch using a great Divine Ability. It would appear somewhere in the Immortal Domain, and its location would change again after a number of years. Thus, once someone stepped outside the forbidden zone, they would emerge somewhere unknown. However, you could go to the ancestral grounds and ask the ancestors. Perhaps they had a way to let you land at a precise location!
Although the Immortal Domain was dangerous, it probably would not be much of a problem for Di Chen, who possessed Saint Realm cultivation... Would assigning him a Dao Protector be safer?
Hearing this, Di Chen nodded. He had long been unable to wait. These nine years of secluded cultivation had left him stifled!!!
A long while later, Di Chen was standing outside the ancestral grounds, staring blankly at the stone stele before him. "Hmm? How do I get in? Knock?" Di Chen rubbed his nose, looking utterly awkward!!!
Suddenly! A streak of golden light shot out of the stone stele-
and emerged. The next moment, the scenery before Di Chen changed abruptly.
Before him, wooden coffins floated in the air, strange patterns carved across their surfaces. Ancient and imposing, they were steeped in the traces of countless weathered years. Wisps of Chaos Qi coiled among them, inspiring dread at a glance!!!
"Di Chen pays his respects to the ancestors!" Di Chen respectfully bowed to the decaying wooden coffins before him.
Hum...
Just as Di Chen finished speaking, one coffin lid began to tremble slightly, then opened. An old man with snow-white hair and beard stepped out. His hair was white as a crane's feathers, but his face was youthful, and a kindly smile covered it.
"Ah! Tenth Ancestor." Di Chen immediately tried to bow again, only to feel his whole body stiffen, unable to move, as though within his-
body, an invisible, mighty power had taken control of-
him!!!
"All right, all right, there's no need for this. You're the young master, after all! Don't bow at the drop of a hat. The Dark Forbidden Zone has no use for that," Tenth Ancestor said mildly, waving his hand.
"Hehe! Haven't you ancestors been guiding my cultivation these past nine years?!!! Of course I have to respect you!!!" Di Chen said awkwardly with a sheepish smile.
"Chen'er, we old fellows already-
know why you've come. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path. But remember, you are now the young master of the Dark Forbidden Zone. In the outside world, your every word and deed represents the entire forbidden zone. You need not fear any faction. Across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, there is no one we cannot afford to provoke! You need only follow your heart!" Tenth Ancestor instructed. "But rest assured, if you encounter a life-and-death crisis you cannot resolve, you can crush this jade talisman. When that happens, we will certainly come to your rescue!!!"
With that, Tenth Ancestor took a palm-sized black jade talisman from his robes and handed it to Di Chen!!!
"This is?" Di Chen looked at Tenth Ancestor in confusion.
"This is the Dark Forbidden Zone's soul jade talisman. Once you crush it, no matter where you are, we can reach you immediately. But it can only be used once, so unless your life is at stake, it's best not to use it," Tenth Ancestor explained with a smile.
"Thank you, Tenth Ancestor. I'll remember!!!" Di Chen nodded solemnly.
"Oh, right! Chen'er, you'll be venturing out alone, and we old fellows can't be of much help. Here is a Quasi-Emperor-grade Heaven and Earth Robe. Take it."
As his words fell, Tenth Ancestor flicked a finger, sending a streak of black light into Di Chen's body. A suit of black armor enveloped Di Chen from head to toe, faintly exuding an exceptionally powerful pressure!!!
"Thank you, Tenth Ancestor!!!" Di Chen's eyes shone. This was Quasi-Emperor-grade defensive armor!
"All right! Go back and say your goodbyes properly. In a quarter of an hour, we'll send you out of the Dark Forbidden Zone." Tenth Ancestor smiled slightly.
"Yes, Tenth Ancestor!!!" Di Chen answered, turning to walk out of the ancestral grounds.
Inside the great hall...
"Chen'er, how about choosing a follower? You can choose anyone in the entire forbidden zone, even one of the ten core disciples. Out there on your own, you'll need someone to help you!" Di Yuan said earnestly.
"Father, there's really no need! Although Zhang Hao among the core disciples is quite good, he's still far from meeting my requirements." Di Chen smiled faintly.
"He can't even withstand a single move from me! Taking him along would only make him a burden, unless he breaks through to Saint cultivation! Then I might consider it!"
"Oh? You have quite an appetite, brat." A trace of surprise flashed through Di Yuan's eyes at this, but they soon returned to normal. Given Di Chen's monstrous aptitude, such a requirement was not excessive!
"All right, all right. Your father is nagging! Your grandfather and your mother are both in seclusion, at a critical juncture, so they left a storage ring-
with enough things inside for you to survive in the Immortal Domain."
Di Yuan waved his right hand.
A strangely shaped ring flew into Di Chen's hand, radiating dazzling starlight and shimmering colors, ancient and imposing.
"Thank you, Father!!!" Di Chen's eyes lit up. This storage ring was certainly no ordinary item.
"All right! All right! Get lost already!!" Di Yuan waved him away.
"Hehe! Father, I'll take my leave, then!!!" With that, Di Chen hurried outside.
"Ah..." Watching Di Chen's retreating figure, Di Yuan could not help letting out a long sigh. Perhaps this was the helplessness of being a father. The more outstanding his son was, the more he worried, afraid that his son might die young. Although the Dark Forbidden Zone was invincible in the Immortal Domain, the Immortal Domain spanned far more than hundreds of millions of li. Experts gathered like clouds, and the powerful stood in forests. Even a mighty Quasi-Emperor could fall with a moment's carelessness!!!
At this thought, Di Yuan's body slowly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already in a secret chamber. Inside, Di Yuan stared intently at the black jade talisman in his hand, sharp glints flickering in his eyes. With a bang, a flame rose, burning the black jade talisman to ashes. A silhouette of light emerged from the ashes, condensing into the indistinct figure of a black-robed man.
"Greetings, my lord," the black-robed man said respectfully. His voice was hoarse, as though washed by countless years, desolate and ancient, old beyond belief.
"Begin!" Di Yuan took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
"Yes, my lord." The black-robed man-
answered respectfully. The next moment, his body gradually became illusory and indistinct, until it vanished completely.
The vast secret chamber fell silent once more...
Inside the ancestral grounds...
"Are you ready, little fellow?!!!" Tenth Ancestor looked at Di Chen and asked with a gentle smile. This little fellow is the face of our Dark Forbidden Zone. We must be cautious!
"Rest assured, ancestors! I'm ready!" Di Chen nodded firmly.
Boom, boom, boom! The five ancestors-
exchanged smiles and unleashed terrifying pressure. In an instant, the entire space twisted, and a pitch-black spatial gate appeared out of thin air.
The spatial gate slowly opened, gradually revealing a spatial tunnel.
"Di Chen!!! Go in!!!" Tenth Ancestor said gravely.
"Yes, Tenth Ancestor!!!"
The next moment, Di Chen stepped forward, crossed the spatial tunnel, and vanished from the sight of Tenth Ancestor and the others.
Inside the forbidden grounds! Zhang Hao's gaze-
blazed as he sensed that faint spatial fluctuation within the ancestral grounds. A thought kept growing in his mind, and he then headed toward the great hall.
"Greetings, Lord of the Forbidden Zone!!!"
"Rise! What is it?" Di Yuan glanced at him mildly. "The young master has gone out to gain experience. I wish to follow at his side."
At this, surprise flashed through Di Yuan's eyes. "Although you are exceptionally gifted, reaching the peak of the Reincarnation Realm at merely twenty years old, you are not yet qualified to have the ancestors personally send you out. Besides, with your strength, you cannot possibly pass through the spatial turbulence!!!"
"You misunderstand, Lord of the Forbidden Zone. This junior does not wish to rely on the ancestors' strength to cross the spatial turbulence. Rather, I wish to rely on myself and temper myself within it, in hopes of breaking through to the Saint Realm," Zhang Hao said, his expression turning solemn.
"Nonsense! Even a Quasi-Emperor expert would not dare rashly enter spatial turbulence, much less you, who are only at the peak of the Reincarnation Realm!!!" Di Yuan frowned at Zhang Hao's words.
"Lord of the Forbidden Zone, I have confidence!!!" Zhang Hao said firmly. With a thud, Zhang Hao dropped to his knees. "I wish to follow at the young master's side. I want to personally witness the day the young master becomes an immortal! Please grant your permission!"
"Are you certain? Do you know that once you enter, there is no turning back? You could fall at any moment." Di Yuan gave Zhang Hao a long look and asked gravely.
"I'm certain."
Zhang Hao gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Very well. Since you are so determined, I'll lend you a hand!!!" Di Yuan exhaled softly, gave him a complicated look, and extended a hand.
The next moment, the space around Zhang Hao shook violently. A huge black hole appeared in an instant, traces of a destructive presence emanating from within, as though it would devour everything.
A second later, Di Yuan flicked a finger. A streak of light sank between Zhang Hao's brows.
"All right! This is a life-preserving talisman I'm giving you!!! Good luck!!!"
"Thank you for your gift, Lord of the Forbidden Zone." Filled with excitement, Zhang Hao bowed in thanks. With this talisman, even if he encountered danger in space, his chances of escaping would increase considerably. Then, his expression resolute, Zhang Hao walked into the black hole without looking back... until he slowly disappeared...