Chapter 282

Chapter 282: Incredible Discovery

The Falling Star Mountain Range was said to have been formed from fallen stars, stretching between the Southern Region and the Western Desert, serving as a natural border between the two lands. Though it marked the divide, the mountains themselves belonged to the Western Desert.

This vast range extended thousands of miles from north to south, its breadth spanning over thirty thousand miles from east to west.

Zhang Yang set out alone. This time, he closed his eyes, relying entirely on the faint, instinctive pull of his bloodline, using it as a guiding compass.

With Three Steps of Mountains and Rivers operating at full power, he moved like a streak of light, skimming the ground as he traversed the world.

In just five breaths, he arrived at the Falling Star Mountain Range.

Here, the sensation within his bloodline grew stronger. He pushed his speed even further.

However, the Falling Star Mountain Range was not empty. It was home to countless beasts and numerous travelers from the Western Desert. Ever since the Forbidden Land that once connected to it mysteriously vanished, the area had drawn considerable attention. Many had come to investigate.

Along the way, Zhang Yang overheard discussions about himself. From their tones and expressions, he could tell that most were filled with curiosity, doubt, and even disdain.

Clearly, his name and achievements had already spread throughout the Southern Region.

Yet, he couldn’t care less about their opinions.

He maintained his rapid pace. Occasionally, a few foolish individuals, seeing his speed, attempted to block his path, some even launching direct attacks. He didn’t bother with them.

He simply dashed past them without a second glance.

Even two beasts, intrigued by his velocity, tried to compete with him, but in the end, they were left far behind, unable to keep up.

This feeling of being underestimated, regarded as an easy target, felt strangely nostalgic.

Ever since he had established himself in the Vast Forest, rising to the status of the Eleventh Sacred Land of the Southern Region, only Saint-level forces or extraordinarily powerful experts had dared to provoke him.

Yet, despite this nostalgia, Zhang Yang clicked his tongue and muttered to himself,

"How cheap… I’m actually feeling nostalgic over this?"

Cheap or not, he found he preferred being ordinary.

Even after becoming the Battle God of the Southern Region, he had never grown accustomed to flaunting his status like Liu Feijue or Yue Longxiang. His pride was something ingrained in his very bones, it was never about arrogance or showing off.

Unless he was deliberately stirring up trouble, something he found rather tasteless.

The Falling Star Mountain Range loomed before him, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.

And somewhere within it, the truth of his bloodline awaited.

He journeyed deep into the mountains, covering five thousand miles, yet his destination remained out of reach.

The call within his bloodline grew increasingly stronger.

He knew he was getting close.

So, he pressed onward.

By the time he had traveled eight thousand miles, the surrounding Beasts had begun to reach the Immeasurable Stage level.

This made him wary.

After all, he was only at the sixth level of the Ascending to Heaven Realm, still a considerable distance from the Opening the Sky Realm.

With the loss of the War Statues and the Thousand Wolves Pillar, which had transformed into the Crimson Sun Divine Rod, he found himself without any external safeguards for the first time.

For once, he was relying solely on himself.

And that realization sent a thrill through his veins.

There was both tension and exhilaration.

Deep within him, a sense of fearlessness and unshakable bravery surged.

This was his state of mind.

Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his condition, clearing his thoughts before continuing his journey.

He dodged when he could.

When he couldn’t, he confronted the challenges head-on.

At some point, he realized that this solo journey was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

He had discarded everything.

For the first time, he truly walked the razor’s edge between life and death.

In martial arts, reaching great heights required such an experience.

True understanding of life and death could only be forged through countless encounters with both.

It was only by stepping beyond ordinary struggles that one could develop extraordinary courage and achieve true advancement.

Looking back, Zhang Yang suddenly saw his own stagnation.

Ever since his breakthrough to the seventh level of the Touching Heaven Realm in Mo City, although others saw his growth as extraordinary, he had not advanced as he once had.

But was it simply the diminishing effects of Spirit Stones, meaning he needed Spirit Saint Stones to progress?

No.

It was my own negligence.

I allowed the ideals of the new generation to blind me.

The competition in the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins had forced him into a different mindset. It had prevented him from being like the warrior he was before the Vast Forest officially became a Sacred Land, when he provoked saints while still at the Returning to Origin Realm and slaughtered Great Boundless-level beings while only at Touching Heaven.

He had been focusing too much on the new generation.

But that was never his goal.

He should have always been looking beyond, toward the Immeasurable Stage…

No.

He should have set his sights on the Saints. Because in his bloodline, Saints were looked down upon. That was it.

He had shackled himself.

The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

It was like wandering through a scorching desert for a day and a night, only to suddenly submerge in the clearest, sweetest spring water, his entire being felt renewed, clear, and invigorated.

His mind became razor-sharp, his thoughts unclouded, and his spirit overflowed with excitement.

A laugh escaped his lips.

He tilted his head back and howled into the sky, laughing as he walked forward.

In that moment, he unlocked a deeper understanding of Three Steps of Mountains and Rivers. The world around him felt different, refreshed, and utterly transformed. His speed surged.

Faster and faster. Until, he broke through his own limits.

Three Steps of Mountains and Rivers surged to the speed of sound, causing the air around him to explode in a continuous barrage of sonic booms.

And just like that, after traveling ten thousand miles into the Falling Star Mountain Range, he finally arrived at his destination.

Towering mountains stretched majestically into the sky. The vegetation was lush and vibrant.

Strange rock formations jutted out from the earth, giving the land an ancient, mysterious presence.

An indescribable tranquility enveloped the entire area.

Zhang Yang quickly noticed something odd, within a radius of at least a thousand miles, he had neither seen another human nor sensed the presence of any Beasts.

It was a land completely untouched.

As he took in his surroundings, he noticed something even more unusual.

A few Great Boundless-level Beasts had spotted him from a distance.

Yet, their expressions weren’t hostile.

Instead, they were filled with surprise.

At that moment, Zhang Yang reflected on his own state of mind before arriving here, realizing just how much he had changed.

He refocused his attention and fixed his gaze on an ancient, broken palace, nestled deep within the mountains.

Its walls were cracked.

Weeds grew wildly over its once-grand structure.

It did not radiate the aura of treasure, nor did it exude power. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary, abandoned ruin. Yet, at its center, something resonated violently with his bloodline.

A single oil lamp burned inside the palace. Its flame was no larger than a green bean. From the outside, there was nothing extraordinary about this flame.

It was neither divine fire, nor the saintly fire. It appeared completely unremarkable. And yet. it awakened something deep within his bloodline, stirring it into an uncontrollable frenzy.

Zhang Yang stepped forward but suddenly, a feeling of unease flooded his senses.

Instinctively, he whipped his head around. That was when he saw it. Lying in the tall grass beside the broken palace was an aged black tiger, no more than a foot high. Its fur was dull, lacking any luster. Its once-vibrant eyes had faded to a murky yellow.

At first glance, it barely looked like a tiger at all, more like an old, frail, hairless dog.

Yet the moment Zhang Yang laid eyes upon it, his expression shifted to one of pure horror.

Because this… was a Holy Beast. But not just any Holy Beast. The aura it exuded far surpassed Chi Zhenyi. It surpassed Shui Lianyi, and Ghost King Youye.

It surpassed all the Saints imprisoned within the frozen time and space of the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins.

More than that, it even overshadowed the fearsome God King Taiyi.

His heart trembled violently.

“There’s actually such a terrifying Holy Beast hidden in this world? Why is it that no one outside has ever heard of it? No one has ever spoken of Holy Beasts existing in the Falling Star Mountain Range…”

He vaguely sensed that the existence of this Holy Beast must be connected to the tiny flame within the palace.

Taking a deep breath, he pointed at the small flame and said, “It was this that called me here.”

The black tiger showed no reaction, merely gazing at him with its dull yellow eyes.

Then, Zhang Yang felt an invisible force brush against his bloodline.

Yet, his bloodline remained as calm as still water, completely unaffected.

Even the black tiger seemed surprised. Its dull yellow eyes brightened, reflecting the earth and mountains, the sun and moon, as if all things in heaven and earth had merged into its gaze. Boundless holy might radiated from it, exuding an aura of ancient mystery.

And yet, Zhang Yang’s bloodline did not stir in the slightest.

“Your bloodline is deeply rooted—already surpassing the level permitted by Eternal Night.”

The black tiger spoke in a breathy voice, rough and aged, resembling that of an old man.

“You must be the one I have been waiting for.”