Chapter 79
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Chapter 79: Forbidden Ground Defense Line
When Xu Gang and Xu Yuexian returned, Xu Fan took the items they had bought to the alchemy room. Three days later, he led them to the illusion room.
"The soul illusion realm I’ve created won’t directly boost your cultivation, but you can bring out the combat techniques and secret techniques you learn there," Xu Fan explained. "This soul illusion world, with its altered perception of time, is extraordinary, but staying too long can be harmful." He handed each of them a green pill from a bottle. "This is a Soul Restoration Pill. It helps counteract the side effects of prolonged exposure to the soul illusion world. After taking it, you’ll spend two years in the soul illusion world, while only a month passes in the real world. Use this time to master secret techniques and sharpen your combat skills. I’ll check on you from time to time."
The illusion room was actually a precious artifact crafted by Xu Fan, ranking among his top three creations. Its primary function was to solidify the illusions he cast, directly affecting the soul. As his two disciples entered the illusion world, Xu Fan turned to his own tasks.
That month was the busiest Xu Fan had ever been. He was crafting a palm-sized farm, a big order from a powerful figure that he couldn’t ignore, especially since he needed a large amount of spirit stones. Between crafting artifacts and guiding his disciples in the illusion world, he barely had a moment to rest.
Daily updates about the beast race poured in. Millions of beasts had gathered in the remote areas, guarded by five Great Ascension Beast Sovereigns. The beast race had already overrun more than a dozen small border nations, leaving chaos in their wake. As the news spread, all the Great Ascension cultivators of Xiangzhou convened, aiming to destroy the beast race’s teleportation routes.
At that critical moment, the lone Taichi Sword Immortal of Xiangzhou single-handedly destroyed the beast race’s cross-border teleportation point, severely injuring two Great Ascension Beast Sovereigns before vanishing into the wind.
Just as Xu Fan completed the last palm-sized farm, the beast race retreated to the edge of a forbidden area within Xiangzhou, threatening to unleash ancient giant beasts if anyone dared to attack. Eventually, the human race and the beast race reached an agreement: the humans wouldn’t enter the forbidden ground, but the beast race would face consequences if they left. The sect established a 3,000-mile defense line outside the forbidden area, sealing it off completely.
"I still feel like this isn’t over," Xu Fan muttered, stroking his chin.
By then, Xu Gang and Xu Yuexian had completed their two years of training. Xu Fan’s Communication Artifact chimed, alerting him that the disciples who received the message were to report to the front lines with the sect elders.
At that moment, the protective barrier bell rang, and in walked Xu Fan’s long-lost brother, Sha Diao.
"Xu Fan, did you get the message? I specifically recommended you to the elder," Sha Diao said cheerfully.
"Do I have a grudge against you? Why are you doing this to me?" Xu Fan asked, suppressing the urge to confront Sha Diao.
"Brother Sha, why did you do this?" Xu Fan asked, barely holding back his frustration.
"This is a great opportunity! Several sects have decided to set up Giant Cannons along the outskirts of the Forbidden Ground Defense Line. All the master craftsmen and even some artifact great masters from Xiangzhou will be there to install the Giant Cannons near the forbidden area. So, I asked the master to bring you along. We, the younger artifact masters, can observe and learn," Sha Diao said, clearly pleased with himself.
"Thank you," Xu Fan said through clenched teeth. The Giant Cannon was something he could craft, but his current cultivation level held him back. If needed, he could work wonders with it.
"Pack your things. We’ll set out on the sect’s warship tomorrow."
"Alright."
The next day, as Xu Fan stepped onto the warship, he still felt a bit surreal. In contrast, his two disciples beside him were unusually excited—it had been a long time since they had traveled far with their master.
The sect had dispatched a total of four Floating Sky Ships for the escort mission, which would need to be stationed for some time.
At the front of the warship, Xu Yuexian smiled at her master. She knew Xu Fan disliked traveling far from home the most.
“Master, stop sighing. This trip will be safe. I heard there are six Great Ascension stage Sovereigns stationed at the Forbidden Ground Defense Line,” Xu Yuexian reassured, noticing Xu Fan’s sighs.
“You’re right. Let’s treat it as a vacation,” Xu Fan replied, gazing down at the small earth below.
He had originally prepared a lot of things for his disciples, but in the end, he was going too.
After flying for three days, the warship finally reached the airspace above the Forbidden Ground Defense Line.
“Wow, this is just… unbelievable.”
The entrance to the forbidden area was a toxic marsh forest stretching over three thousand kilometers, while the defense line had large camps every fifty miles and a Sovereign stationed every eight hundred miles.
Xu Fan looked down at the magnificent fairy city and sighed, “How much effort must have gone into building this?”
A large hand rested on Xu Fan’s shoulder.
“Doesn’t this feel a bit over the top?”
“Actually, no. Since the Beast Race has invaded, it means they’ve already mastered the spatial coordinates of this place.”
Xu Fan glanced at Sha Diao, who was resting his hand on his shoulder, and thought, *Alright, go ahead and show off your knowledge.*
“What happens if they master the spatial coordinates?” Xu Fan asked.
“If they master this area’s spatial coordinates, they can teleport large numbers of beasts here at a certain cost.”
“Right now, the Heavenly Way’s Will still recognizes the identity of the Beast Race,” Sha Diao added.
Xu Fan was puzzled. *Recognizing their identity? What does that even mean?*
Seeing Xu Fan’s confused expression, Sha Diao realized his scholarly persona was about to be exposed.
“You know, the Beast Race ruled this world hundreds of thousands of years ago. Even though they were driven out, the Heavenly Way’s Will still acknowledges their identity.”
“Don’t ask why—let me explain. Back then, the Beast Race unified the two realms and tried to merge them into a more powerful world.”
“But when the fusion of the two realms’ Heavenly Way’s Will was halfway through, our human race rose and interrupted the process.”
“Unfortunately, even though it was interrupted, the Heavenly Way’s Will of the two realms can no longer be separated.”
“So now, whether the Beast Race enters the Human Realm or the human race enters the Beast Realm, they won’t be rejected by the Heavenly Way’s Will.”
Xu Fan looked up at the sky, feeling like the world he lived in had just become even more dangerous. He had never heard in other novels that worlds could merge like this.
“What do you think, Junior Brother Xu?” Sha Diao asked.
Xu Fan looked like someone who had just finished reading about the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
“There’s no truly safe place in this world,” Xu Fan murmured, hoping the things he imagined would never come to pass.
At that moment, Xu Fan felt a deep resentment toward Ye Xiaoyao. If that guy really was the protagonist, then the entire cultivation world was probably in for a rough time.
In the past, Xu Fan had read novels where peace lasted for thousands of years, where the two realms hadn’t fought for tens of thousands of years, where seals contained world-destroying demons, and many similar stories.
But once a protagonist appeared, everything inevitably descended into chaos.
“How long has it been since the human race and the Beast Race had a large-scale battle?” Xu Fan asked.
“It’s been over ten thousand years since the Beast Race’s uprising at the convergence of the Central Continent. That battle involved almost every cultivator in the cultivation world.”
