Chapter 1801: The Forsaken

All within the Forbidden Zones of Life?!

The beings of the Immortal Realm could not comprehend—since they were alive, why did they not return to their homeland? Many among them knew little of the forbidden lands in this world.

But the experts of this realm were different. They understood all too well how terrifying the Forbidden Zones were. Even the mighty, such as the two old men from the Sacred Academy and the Immortal Academy, dared not set foot in the Forbidden Zones of Life atop the Nine Heavens, despite having reached the Supreme Realm!

“Beings from the Forbidden Zones… they have such origins?”

In the Three Thousand Provinces, an elder of the highest standing among the sect masters sighed deeply. Only today had he come to understand.

In this world, only a select few knew who truly resided within the Forbidden Zones—such as the Eternal Families or the Undying Imperial Dynasties that had existed since time immemorial.

“If they are alive, why not return to the Immortal Realm?” asked a leader from the Immortal Realm. Since they still lived in this world, why not go back?

They had only just arrived, yet already they wished to leave. This world was too barren, its Great Dao incomplete, unsuitable for cultivation, far inferior to the Immortal Realm.

“Because the gates of the Immortal Realm are closed to them,” the Grand Commander replied, his voice trembling slightly as he clenched his fists. In the future, they too would likely be deemed unworthy of returning.

“What? Closed to their own people?!” The others refused to believe it.

“After years of fierce battles with the Dark Beings, we too will inevitably be tainted by their ominous aura—an affliction that cannot be purged. The Immortal Realm forbids any cultivator from entering while carrying that corruption!”

The Grand Commander’s words struck the others like a plunge into an icy abyss. A chilling silence fell over them, leaving them speechless.

The news was devastating. To have a home yet be unable to return—they had been abandoned.

And now, they were expected to fight desperately, only to be exiled here forever, with nothing to show for their sacrifices!

Even if they survived the war, it would be meaningless. The Immortal Realm would shun them, leaving them stranded in this world for eternity.

“How heartbroken those predecessors must have been!” someone muttered, fists clenched. And now, they too would walk the same path, destined to die in a foreign land.

“Are we doomed to carve out our own Forbidden Zones and remain in this world?” another asked, eyes burning with defiance.

“Hah, you think too highly of yourself. Do you truly believe we could establish a Forbidden Zone?” The Grand Commander laughed bitterly. “Only those with peerless power—predecessors who once clashed with the mightiest of the Dark—could achieve such a feat. Could you or I ever hope to match them?”

“Aah—” The others gasped, faces paling. Were they truly so powerless that they couldn’t even create a Forbidden Zone?

Soon, they learned the truth: throughout the ages, many of the Immortal Realm’s fallen luminaries might not have truly perished—they were simply sequestered within the Forbidden Zones!

Such beings, with their status and power, were beyond comparison.

“Rest assured, our world will surely dispatch peerless experts. If we survive, we may follow them into the Forbidden Zones,” the Grand Commander said, though his words carried a bitter edge.

“You speak too much,” interjected the skeletal old man, his gaze eerie and unsettling as he fixed his eyes on the Grand Commander.

“Why should we fight so desperately? Is this sacrifice worth it?” someone exploded. Had they left the Immortal Realm only to face such a fate?

The emaciated elder, his golden skin stretched taut over his bones, regarded them coldly. “Before your departure, your descendants and kin were granted the finest care. They will be accepted into the most powerful sects. Your sacrifice is not in vain.”

His words, though brief, silenced the agitated leaders. They opened their mouths but found no retort.

This was their so-called reward—and also a threat.

Now, their descendants and loved ones in the Immortal Realm would receive the highest-tier resources and inheritances, ensuring great future achievements.

But if they defied the will of the Immortal Realm, they would be branded traitors. What fate would then await their kin?

The two old men from the Sacred Academy and the Immortal Academy were also present. As leaders of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, along with a few Supreme beings and elders of the Eternal Families, they had the privilege to remain.

Yet even they were deeply wary, brows furrowed, not daring to voice their thoughts.

“Some matters here may be discussed, but others must not be spoken of carelessly,” the skeletal elder clad in golden skin intoned ominously.

A chill ran through the crowd as they nodded silently.

This elder was undoubtedly a True Immortal—and a formidable one at that, given how even the Grand Commander bowed before him.

“Has that Dark Being, the one who may become a leader, not yet been slain?” the elder demanded. Bathed in golden light, he leaped into the air, stepping upon immortal mist as he gazed down upon the dark lands ahead.

There, the former sect master of the Vajra Gate, hair wild and disheveled, had grown even stronger. He roared as he consumed the dark blood of several Beast Kings.

“If he refuses to leave the Dark Region, must we charge in?” a leader asked.

“Find a way to kill him!” the elder commanded.

Far away, Shi Hao observed as well. The former Vajra Gate sect master’s range of movement was expanding, drawing closer as he hunted down Dark-Evolved Kings.

“A monster. If this continues, will he reach the Supreme Realm?” Shi Hao frowned.

He knew this creature was different—it had once been chosen by that nine-colored box resembling the Origin Artifact, which had hovered above its head before vanishing.

Sure enough, the creature surged toward this province, its passage stirring the Dark Essence into a frenzy. Creatures fled in terror as it slaughtered and devoured powerful Dark Beings along the way, growing ever stronger.

“About to ascend to the Supreme Realm already?”

Shi Hao inhaled sharply, stunned. His own cultivation speed was legendary, yet compared to this creature, it was laughably slow.

This was unnatural. Even Shi Hao felt a pang of envy—was the heavens so unjust as to allow such a shortcut to the pinnacle of cultivation?

But he quickly steadied himself, his heart calming. He believed in the balance of all things—gain and loss were intertwined.

Such abnormal progress surely carried hidden flaws. In the end, it might all amount to nothing.

“Kill him. This creature is no ordinary being. It may forge an unorthodox path of evolution, unbound by the Dark Edicts. Left unchecked, it could become a second Yu Tuo!”

The elder from the Immortal Realm could no longer remain idle. He issued a stern command to the Grand Commander.

“Must we truly risk entering the Dark?” someone asked cautiously.

“To battle the Dark Beings, we must face them sooner or later. There is no avoiding it!” the elder declared.

Whoosh!

A divine light split the sky as an expert from the Immortal Realm surged forth. A seasoned cultivator of profound strength, he streaked into the Dark Region.

Though the Immortal Realm had dispatched many, only a handful were True Immortals. Not all could be of that rank.

Even in the Immortal Realm, True Immortals were rare!

“ROAR!”

With a thunderous roar, the former Vajra Gate sect master’s eyes burned like silver lamps. Instead of retreating, he charged to meet his foe.

The Dark Essence churned violently, and the Immortal Realm expert’s body shuddered. Despite his power, he was at a severe disadvantage against the corrupting influence.

Within that black ocean, even his magic was being eroded. The situation was dire—he had to end this quickly.

“Pfft!”

The outcome defied all expectations. When the two clashed, the former sect master’s body erupted in radiant golden light, impervious to blades and spears—indestructible.

Meanwhile, the Immortal Realm expert was torn apart, his body split in two, blood gushing.

“Indestructible Vajra Body—his physique has reached an inconceivable level. Ordinary means won’t work!” the Grand Commander muttered, brow furrowed.

And this was only the beginning. If that disheveled elder was allowed to evolve further, he would become a calamity.

“I’ll go!”

At that moment, another expert approached from afar, wreathed in immortal mist. Though not yet a True Immortal, he had reached the Supreme Realm.

Boom!

Shrouded in dense immortal mist, he resisted the Dark Essence’s corrosion.

“Only those with exceptionally rich immortal energy can withstand the Dark’s erosion,” the skeletal elder remarked.

Though formidable, the former sect master was no match for a Supreme. At the first clash, he coughed up black blood and was sent flying.

“Hmph!”

But then—from the depths of the Dark Region—a massive claw emerged, blotting out the sky as it seized the Immortal Realm expert and crushed him into pulp!

Silence.

The crowd stood frozen in shock.

“The true mastermind of the Dark has appeared—so soon, so abruptly!” The Grand Commander paled. Were they already facing the final battle?

“Trouble. I’m certain now—that Vajra Gate elder was indeed chosen as a Dark Seed. He must die. We cannot allow another Yu Tuo to rise.” To everyone’s astonishment, the skeletal elder stepped forward, advancing toward the Dark Region.

His gaze fixed on the retreating claw, then on the former sect master, he moved with deliberate steps.

The onlookers were dumbstruck. Had it truly come to this so soon? Was the final confrontation already upon them?!