20demayo Chapter 25 Negotiation Forbidden Zones
Chapter 25 Negotiation Forbidden Zones
"Chaos Stone?"
Deep within the Primordial Ancient Mine, terrifying wills awaken from the Immortal Source.
Each of those wills had reached the Supreme level, their gazes piercing through layers of mine shafts, cold and profound, landing on the tall, pine-like figure outside the ancient mine. Counting them, there were nearly ten of them!
The simultaneous emergence of so many wills caused slight changes in the divine thoughts projected from other forbidden zones of life.
The number of Supreme Beings sleeping in the Primordial Ancient Mine far exceeded expectations. In some forbidden zones of life, some Supreme Beings have passed away peacefully over time, while others, unable to endure the ravages of time, attempted to emerge and cause chaos, only to be killed by the Great Emperor of the time or fought to the death by the Great Accomplished Holy Body. The remaining number of Supreme Beings is probably only two or three.
"Some old friends are still asleep, deep in their sleep..." a supreme being said slowly in the Immortal Tomb.
Including those Supreme Beings still in deep slumber and have not yet awakened, the number of Supreme Beings who have self-severed in the Primordial Ancient Mine is probably more than ten. One Primordial Ancient Mine is equivalent to the sum of several other forbidden zones of life. Such a profound accumulation is unmatched by any other one of the seven forbidden zones of life.
One primordial ancient mine is equivalent to several other forbidden zones for life!
"What a bold young man." The cold voice echoed again from the Undying Mountain, carrying a condescending scrutiny and undisguised chill. "You dare descend upon the forbidden zone of life with just a decree? Do you think you're no weaker than us?"
With the perspective of a supreme being in a forbidden zone, one can naturally see that Gai Jiuyou has recovered from his Dao injury and is even more advanced than when he was undergoing tribulation. The Dao essence hidden around him is even more condensed and profound than it was a few years ago.
But they were all once enlightened beings who swept through an era, reaching the pinnacle by stepping on the corpses of countless powerful enemies, and their invincible belief in their bones never diminished in the slightest. Even after severing themselves and experiencing a drop in their realm, they still believed themselves to be superior to these unconventional enlightened beings.
Gai Jiuyou glanced towards the direction of Undying Mountain, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. The hostility emanating from the indifferent voice within Undying Mountain was exceptionally profound, starkly different from the scrutinizing gaze of the supreme beings of the Primordial Ancient Mine. This reminded him of an ancient emperor whose identity had been confirmed, whom he had mentioned during his conversation with the Great Emperor of Divine Continent—
The Lord of the Undying Mountain, the Stone Emperor!
He was an enlightened being of the Holy Spirit race, viewing all living beings as mere ants. The number of lives he had reaped from countless races was among the highest even among the fallen sovereigns, his hands stained with the blood of countless ages from the primordial to the ancient times. He was one of the greatest sources of darkness and turmoil since the beginning of time.
"Young man." From within the Primordial Ancient Mine, the will of a supreme being emanated, its voice deep and resonant like a mountain. Unlike the aggressive tone of the Undying Mountain, it possessed an inviolable majesty.
"Chaos Stone is a divine material capable of forging supreme imperial weapons, extremely rare in the world, no less than any of the nine great immortal metals. You think you can borrow it from my Primordial Ancient Mine on behalf of the Lord of Chaos with just a word?"
"The Lord of Chaos is willing to exchange his own ancient scriptures," Gai Jiuyou replied.
Faced with the gaze of nearly ten supreme wills, he neither retreated in the slightest nor showed any provocation, but calmly stated his purpose.
The Primordial Ancient Mine is different from other forbidden zones. The Great Emperor of Shenzhou sealed himself here and knew its secrets best.
Although the Supreme Beings here seem to be the most numerous, they are not the main source of the dark turmoil. Most of the Supreme Beings still have their lineages and ancient imperial weapons left in the outside world, which is completely different from those forbidden zones that have completely fallen into darkness and severed all ties with the mortal world.
In ancient times, this place was not even a forbidden zone for life, but a common sacred ground for the ancient emperors. Leaders of some of the great clans among the ancient peoples had the opportunity to enter and pay homage to the emperors.
Within the ancient mines, there were also ancient human emperors like the Great Emperor of Shenzhou, who were peaceful in their minds and committed suicide only to witness the path to immortality, never instigating any dark turmoil.
Overall, this seemingly most powerful forbidden zone is actually the more neutral party, with no irreconcilable grudges against Huntianling.
"More than 100,000 years ago, the Four Spirits Subduing Immortal Land deep within the Primordial Ancient Mine cracked open, and a Chaos Stone the size of a millstone flew out, which I temporarily stored away." Within the Immortal Source, an old azure Qilin slowly opened its eyes and spoke.
The voice was ancient and distant, as if it came from the depths of ancient times, belonging to an enlightened being of the Qilin clan in the primordial era.
Qilin Ancient Emperor!
"I never expected that the Lord of Chaos would find out. He has only been in this world for a few hundred years. Could it be a secret technique similar to the Heavenly Calculation lineage?" said the Ancient Emperor Qilin.
The Chaos Stone had been in his possession for over 100,000 years and had never appeared in the outside world. How did this ancient venerable from the chaotic past know about it?
The supreme beings of the Primordial Ancient Mine jointly govern this mining area, which is even older than the mythical era, and they have their own agreement with each other. If the treasures that emerge from the ancient mine are of ordinary quality, whoever takes them will own them, and no one else will interfere.
However, if it is a divine material exclusive to the Great Emperor, such as Chaos Stone, it is shared by the ancient mine. If any one of them needs it, they must discuss it with the other Supreme Beings.
"Great Emperor of Shenzhou, what do you think?" The Qilin Ancient Emperor's gaze pierced through the layers of mine pits, looking towards the immortal source located in another corner of the ancient mine.
"The laws of the Chaotic Ancient Era are vastly different from those of this world, so it's not surprising that someone has the means to know about this matter." The true form of the Great Emperor of Shenzhou in the Immortal Source spoke calmly, his expression unchanged, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.
This is his method, allowing him to travel the world as a Dao Palace deity within the Void Realm, extremely secretive, even able to conceal cause and effect. With the Supreme Being currently slumbering within the Immortal Source, having only revived a portion of his will, no one can detect his connection to the Hun Tian Ridge.
"As for Chaos Stones, although they are divine materials, we have already forged our own weapons. If the Lord of Chaos offers a reasonable price, we may consider it." The Great Emperor of Shenzhou spoke calmly, revealing no particular inclination.
The Qilin Ancient Emperor frowned slightly, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
The Emperor of China behaved normally, spoke appropriately, and maintained a neutral attitude; there was nothing wrong with him.
But as a member of the Qilin clan, he possessed an innate intuition that, honed over millions of years, had not dulled but instead become increasingly acute. This intuition stirred something within him, allowing him to perceive a strange, inexplicable feeling. However, the sensation was too subtle, fleeting, and he was unable to grasp its essence.
He suppressed this strange feeling and turned to the other supreme beings, asking, "What are your thoughts?"
After a brief silence, a will spoke first with a faint smile: "Heh... I am somewhat interested in the ancient scripture created by the Lord of Chaos, the method of an ancient venerable from the Chaotic Era."
The Supreme Being's words carried a hint of the seeker's interest. At their level, they had already mastered most of the laws of this world, and there were very few scriptures that could offer them anything new. The laws and principles of the Chaotic Ancient Era were precisely the rarest unknowns in this world.
"The Chaos Stone is of little use to us now, but the ancient scripture of the Lord of Chaos might offer some inspiration. Do not forget that the Dao principles he used when he suppressed the Fire Spirit Ji Yan with a single palm strike were completely different from any other lineage in this world. If we can glean some benefit from it, we will have a greater chance of success when the path to immortality opens in the future." Another Supreme Being also expressed his agreement.
"However, what does the Lord of Chaos need the Chaos Stone for?" an ancient emperor asked.
Another ancient emperor chuckled, his laughter carrying no hostility but rather a hint of knowing: "Back when the Fire Spirit Ji Yan stormed the mountain, did you all notice the scene on Hun Tian Ridge? A desolate ruin, scarred and ravaged, it must have witnessed a world-shaking battle. The weapon that allowed this Lord of Hun Tian to attain enlightenment was probably destroyed in that battle. Now that we need to forge new soldiers, we naturally need divine materials."
This made perfect sense, and the several supreme beings nodded slightly.
Although they had not personally visited Huntian Ridge, they had clearly seen the outline of the ruins on the mountaintop when the Fire Spirit's silent flame tore through the black mist. The existence of those ruins was one of the biggest secrets of Huntian Ridge, and if it had witnessed a great battle that even Dao-level soldiers had been destroyed, it would fit the appearance of those broken walls and ruins.
After a brief discussion, the Supreme Beings within the Primordial Ancient Mine reached a consensus.
A stone the size of a millstone flew out from the depths of an ancient mine.
The stone was entirely grayish-black, its surface not smooth, but covered with naturally formed rough textures. Each texture resembled an undeveloped, chaotic dragon vein, seemingly containing a slumbering primordial universe. Wisps of chaotic mist emanated from the stone's surface; these mists appeared thin, yet were incredibly heavy, causing the void to slightly collapse wherever they passed, and making time and space around them ambiguous.
This is the Chaos Stone, an extremely rare and divine material!
It descended before Gai Jiuyou, hovering in the void, without any radiance, only the purest and most primal weight.
Gai Jiuyou raised his hand and put away the Chaos Stone.
Immediately, with a wave of his hand, an ancient scripture materialized, its pages gleaming with a faint golden light. The ancient runes on the cover were surrounded by chaotic energy, conveying the meaning of creation and opening up of the world, as if a small world had been created within it.
As it fell into the depths of the Primordial Ancient Mine, the moment it intersected with the Chaos Stone, a faint ripple of Dao principles was stirred in the void.
This is not a new law with unlimited potential that Yu Dao is currently creating, but rather a scripture from his past as the "Supreme Being of Creation". From the perspective of the Dao, one belongs to the normal level of the Supreme Being of the Chaotic Ancient Era, while the other, although not perfect, has an extremely high concept. The value of the two cannot be compared.
The old scriptures were enough to exchange for a piece of divine material exclusive to the Emperor.
The consensus in the relatively neutral Primordial Ancient Mine was thus settled, without any ripples, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, creating a few ripples before returning to calm.
However, not all other forbidden zones of life are happy to see this happen.
Some forbidden zones of life are quite hostile to this chaotic ancient Huntianling!
In the Undying Mountain, the Stone Emperor's cold voice rang out again, like the scraping of cold iron, carrying undisguised chill and sharpness.
"Gentlemen of the Primordial Ancient Mine, are you really handing over the Chaos Stones so easily? The Chaos Ridge has only been around for a few hundred years. First, they suppressed and killed the Fire Spirit Ji Yan, then they trampled the Divine Ruins to seize the Peach Tree of Immortality, and now they've sent people to take the Chaos Stones to forge weapons. Are you all just sitting here and watching? Aren't you afraid that unforeseen changes might occur on your path to immortality ten thousand years from now?"