Chapter 33: The Peerless Beauty in the Forbidden Land of Ancient Antiquity

The Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone.

With the bronze coffins coming to a halt, Ye Fan and the others finally arrived in Beidou. Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, Li Changqing, and the others stood within the depths of the forbidden zone.

"Ye Fan, what is the true background of your Uncle Luo?" Pang Bo asked, unable to contain his curiosity now that they were away from the others.

Along this journey, their group had faced countless perils, nearly resulting in total annihilation. Of the forty or so people who had started, only a dozen remained. Throughout these dangers, it was Ye Fan who had performed most brilliantly, not only holding his own against savage beasts but also wielding a jade pendant that could drive back the crocodile monsters of Mars. Pang Bo knew Ye Fan well and understood that these skills and items were taught to him by the man he called Uncle Luo. Li Xiaoman knew a little as well, but due to her special relationship with Ye Fan, she had only revealed to their classmates that he had such an elder, knowing nothing more.

Ye Fan gave a bitter laugh. "To be honest, I don't know Uncle Luo's background either, but I am certain that he is one of those legendary cultivators!"

"Cultivators?" Pang Bo repeated the word with skepticism. In the past, such things seemed too far removed from reality, but now, he had no choice but to believe.

Ye Fan lowered his voice. "Do you know? When I first met Uncle Luo twenty years ago, he looked to be in his early twenties. Now, two decades later, his appearance hasn't changed a bit! What normal person could possess such methods? Once, in the middle of the night, I overheard my parents talking. When I was a child, I was kidnapped by criminals. Uncle Luo traveled from our neighborhood to the suburbs, dozens of miles away, in just one second to save me from the kidnappers! Do you know how long it took him to kill those villains?"

Pang Bo shook his head.

Recalling the scene, Ye Fan said slowly, "One second! In less than a second, Uncle Luo had already severed the heads of all three kidnappers!" He had once naively thought Uncle Luo was a martial arts master, but now it was clear—he was a legendary cultivator.

"Let's not dwell on this. Take this half-drop of divine liquid; I stole it from Uncle Luo’s home a long time ago," Ye Fan said, handing a small vial to Pang Bo.

Pang Bo knew the value of the liquid. Just recently, Ye Fan had used the other half to save a classmate. "I can't take this. It's yours—what will you do without it?"

Ye Fan revealed his deepest secret, one he had never told his parents, nor Li Xiaoman, nor anyone else. "When I was twelve, Uncle Luo infused three drops of this liquid into my body. He told me it would save my life three times. So, take this to protect yourself, and don't tell a soul!"

Pang Bo nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, I won't say a word." He took the vial and joked, "These three drops are like having three life-saving hairs."

Ye Fan smiled, but he kept silent about the fact that he still held three other mysterious taboos within him—things he felt were even more significant than the divine liquid.

***

"Ye Fan, look! Is that someone over there? It looks like a beautiful woman!" Pang Bo said, clearly stirred by the sight.

Indeed, the woman was peerless—her temperament ethereal, her body immaculate, her beauty so breathtaking she appeared like a goddess descended to the mortal realm. The two men swore they had never seen such a stunning woman; merely standing there, she was suffocatingly beautiful. She glanced at them once before vanishing into the distance.

"There's a grave there!" Ye Fan noticed a stone tablet and a small mound where the woman had been standing.

"There is someone in the grave—they're still alive!" The two were shocked. The person's skin was festering and their features blurred; if not for a faint, lingering breath, they would have assumed the person was dead.

"Old one..."

"To think that two young children have stumbled into this place. You must leave quickly; this is not a place for you," the old man rasped, his eyes dim.

"To be honest, we have been searching for a way to leave."

"Hmm." The old man seemed uninterested in further conversation. His life had reached its end, and he had built his own grave to wait quietly for death.

"Old one, can you tell us how to leave?" Ye Fan asked.

"I cannot even walk out of here myself," the old man replied. "If you truly wish to leave, you might ask the person who was just here."

"Might I ask, who was she?"

The old man’s expression turned nostalgic. "The greatest beauty of the Eastern Wilderness from six thousand years ago. Sealed away until this era, her strength now rivals that of the Holy Lords."

"A person from six thousand years ago? You aren't joking, are you?"

The old man remained silent; he had already passed away.

"She's back!" Pang Bo suddenly whispered. The Saintess of Tianxuan pinched a divine seal, burying the old man.

"Fairy, wait!" Seeing her about to leave, the two called out, but the Saintess did not stop and vanished once more.

Pang Bo sighed, "What a pity. That woman was truly beautiful, even more so than the stars on television!"

***

Ye Fan nodded in agreement; she was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, transcending the mortal world.

"Is the 'television' you speak of a square, mirror-like object?" A cold voice suddenly came from behind them.

The Saintess of Tianxuan had returned, appearing suddenly behind them. Her icy, jade-like figure exuded an aura that made them want to bow down in reverence.

"It is much like what you described," Ye Fan said, stunned that someone here would know of television.

"Where do you come from?"

Pang Bo and Ye Fan exchanged a worried look. The Saintess continued, "I am looking for someone. Perhaps he comes from the same place as you."

"Who are you looking for, Fairy?"

The Saintess looked sorrowful. She tried to recall, then shook her head in disappointment. "A person who does not exist in my memories. Some say we were fated lovers; others say we were soulmates, but I cannot remember clearly myself. I have been searching for him for hundreds of years, but there has been no news."

Pang Bo whispered, "Could he be dead?"

The Saintess fell silent. "Others have told me that before, but I feel he is still alive. I must find him, for I owe him something."

"What do you owe him?"

"I don't know."

*Is this peerless beauty losing her mind?* the two wondered.

"If we tell you where we are from, can you lead us out?"

"I can only point you toward a path. I must stay here to find someone who knows the truth—though perhaps he has not even left a corpse behind." The Saintess sighed with regret. Fifty years ago, a mad Saint had charged into the forbidden zone and vanished without a trace.

She held onto someone she could not let go of, hidden within the fragments of her memories—wanting to forget yet unable to, wanting to see yet not knowing where he was. It had become her obsession. It was like a friendship, a promise, or perhaps, nothing more than a fleeting, illusory dream.