The vast universe, the endless starry sky—many scientists speculate that Earth may be the only source of life.
In the past few decades, humanity has engaged in endless speculations and launched numerous space probes in the hope of discovering extraterrestrial life. However, the deep and mysterious universe, like a barren graveyard, remains cold and desolate, filled with eternal coldness and darkness, offering no signs of life.
The universe is simply too vast, without end. Even the space probes launched with humanity's current technology, though capable of escaping the gravitational pull of our galaxy and traveling for millions or even tens of millions of years, would still struggle to reach the farthest reaches of the sky.
Perhaps today, we can rewrite the history of stargazing. Humanity has reached the farthest corners of the starry sky, crossing distances of dozens or even hundreds of light-years, embarking on the ultimate human journey.
But all of this will be unknown to people on Earth. No one will believe it, and no one will cheer or celebrate.
Nine massive dragon corpses, pulling a bronze ancient coffin, have arrived at the farthest edge of the starry sky, crossing into the star domain where the Big Dipper lies!
It was at this moment that Ye Fan woke up. His hand left the green-rusted ancient coffin. Hundreds of ancient characters were etched into his heart, difficult to understand, profound and unfathomable, as though they could never be erased. It wasn't until this moment that the mysterious divine sound finally disappeared.
The Tao of Heaven is simple, words are precious, everything has ended, like the fall of grandeur, returning to simplicity.
Ye Fan stood in a daze, muttering, "The way of Heaven is to diminish the excess and fill the insufficiency…"
"Ye Fan, are you alright?" Pang Bo asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
During this process, the bronze giant coffin had been shaking violently, making everyone feel dizzy. Everyone knew that the nine dragons pulling the coffin were about to reach their destination.
At this moment, the ancient bronze carvings on the coffin walls began to glow with divine light, forming a hazy light screen that counteracted an unimaginable force. The giant coffin finally stabilized.
With a loud rumble, the bronze coffin lid shifted, falling heavily to the side, and the coffin toppled to the ground.
"Light!"
"I see the light!"
"It's the familiar world of light!"
Many people in the giant bronze coffin couldn't help but shout, as the darkness and blood-red desolation of the ancient Mars star were no longer in sight. Fresh air greeted them, carrying the scent of earth and flowers, filling the surroundings with the vitality of nature. The outside world was a vibrant and bright world full of life.
Everyone quickly stood up and rushed toward the coffin's exit. What they saw was a landscape of beauty and splendor.
At this moment, they were standing at the top of a mountain, overlooking the scene ahead.
In the distance were rolling, picturesque mountain peaks, with lush, vibrant trees. The nearby mountain top had bizarre rocks and ancient trees with thick vines like coiling dragons, as well as green grass and fragrant wildflowers—full of life and vitality.
Compared to the dark and lifeless Mars, this was undoubtedly a peaceful and pristine land.
"This is wonderful. We've finally escaped the darkness and desolation and arrived at such a beautiful, divine land."
"Finally, we no longer need to live in fear!"
Many people were cheering, some even weeping with joy. After enduring death and hardship, they had finally arrived at a world full of vitality and nature.
"Kissing the sunlight, telling myself to live well…" Even the beautiful and astute Lin Jia was moved to such a degree.
Pang Bo stood at the mountain top and shouted toward the distance, "We've finally seen the sun again. Although it's not the same one as before, I will still loudly say that I have been reborn!"
"Clang!"
Suddenly, a metallic tremor came from behind them, causing everyone's nerves to jolt. They turned in unison to see the giant bronze coffin.
Half of the massive dragon corpses were hanging over the cliff, and the coffin was moving slowly forward, being dragged by the nine massive dragon bodies.
"Rumble rumble…"
The nine giant dragon corpses, along with the bronze coffin, made a rumbling sound as they slid down the sheer cliff.
Everyone broke into a cold sweat. The mountain top had a cliff on one side, and if the coffin lid had opened and they had not rushed out quickly, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
After the nine giant dragon corpses and the bronze coffin fell into the abyss, there was no sound of impact for a long time, which left everyone stunned and puzzled.
Without the giant bronze coffin obstructing their view, they could clearly see the scene at the edge of the cliff.
"Could we be standing on the edge of an enormous volcanic crater?" Many people looked shocked.
Because the so-called cliff led into a massive, bottomless pit.
"It's not a volcanic crater. A volcano this large is impossible," they realized upon further inspection. Nine enormous mountains were connected together, forming an incredibly large, deep valley. Normally, this would be an open valley with a clear line of sight, but the nine mountains were not tall enough to block the view.
However, looking down, they could see nothing but darkness, as if the valley pierced directly into hell, unfathomably deep.
The nine mountain peaks surrounded the abyss, and after the dragon corpses and coffin fell into it, there was no sound at all. It was as if the abyss had no bottom.
"How deep could it be? This is unimaginable!"
"What kind of place is this? How could there be such a massive abyss?"
Everyone was bewildered, sensing that this world might not be as peaceful and tranquil as it seemed on the surface.
Ye Fan, after observing the surroundings, said, "Did you notice? There's no five-colored altar here. It's as if we fell directly here from the sky, rather than emerging from the star gate."
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Only then did they realize there was indeed no five-colored altar. Yet the vast mountain top had not collapsed under the impact of the coffin. There were only a few large cracks, which was highly unusual.
"There's no five-colored altar. Why are we here? Could this be the legendary cosmic stranding? Did we get stuck here?" someone joked, but no one laughed. They all looked around and fell into deep thought.
"There's a half-broken stone tablet over there…" At this moment, Zhang Ziling suddenly exclaimed.
On the mountain top was a pile of scattered stones and several ancient trees, intertwined with thick vines. Among the tangled vines was a half-broken stone tablet, its artificial carvings clearly visible.
Everyone hurried over, clearing the dead vines and leaves, and were immediately struck by an ancient atmosphere. The stone tablet had three ancient characters engraved on it, written with powerful strokes, exuding a sense of age. No one knew how many years had passed since it was carved.
"What does it say?" Many people did not recognize the characters.
Ye Fan studied it for a long time but was still uncertain, saying, "It seems to say 'Ancient Forbidden.'"
"'Ancient Forbidden'? What does that mean? It doesn't make sense," everyone said, unable to decipher it.
"This is a broken stone tablet. There should be more words below, but since the stone is shattered, it's impossible to restore it," Pang Bo pulled aside the vines, revealing many broken pieces, as though struck by lightning.
"The three characters seem to refer to the name of this abyss or mountain," Zhou Yi said thoughtfully. "The word 'Forbidden' is quite unusual. The most likely continuation would be the character 'Land.'"
"If so, it would be 'Ancient Forbidden Land'?" one student connected the dots and read it aloud, causing everyone's expression to change. The name of the place was unsettling.
"This place near the abyss is most likely not a blessed land or sanctuary…" someone said.
If it truly was an "Ancient Forbidden Land" as described, it was undoubtedly not a good place.
"Did you notice? There seems to be no animals around here, it's too quiet!" Wang Ziwen, being observant, sensed something was wrong.
"Indeed!" Everyone nodded.
There were flowers, grass, vines, and trees, but upon closer inspection, it was strange—there were no animals at all. The massive mountain was eerily silent, with no bird songs or animal calls. There was no sign of insects either. It was so quiet it felt almost lifeless.
There were no cicadas on the ancient trees, no grasshoppers on the ground, no birds in the sky—only eerie silence.
Pang Bo remained optimistic, saying, "No matter what, there's lush vegetation here. The environment is good enough for us to survive. And with this stone tablet, there must be humans on this planet. I refuse to believe such a beautiful world is a desolate wasteland."
"Who says there are no animals, who says there are no birds in the sky? Look over there…" Ye Fan suddenly discovered something and pointed to the distant sky.
Far in the distance, there seemed to be a golden eagle soaring in the sky, strikingly unique, as its entire body gleamed with golden light. Even from afar, its brilliance could be felt. It looked as though it was made of gold.
At that moment, the golden eagle flew closer, then suddenly dove toward a mountainous area. Moments later, it soared high again, its claws holding a prey, flying toward a distant cliff.
"I… I didn't see wrong, did I?!" Pang Bo, always carefree, stammered in shock.
The others were also stunned, frozen like statues, hardly believing their eyes.
"I feel like… that golden eagle is holding a giant elephant in its claws?" Li Changqing stuttered, feeling dry in his mouth.
"No, it's not just a feeling—it definitely is!" Wang Ziwen added, "To be able to carry a giant elephant, it's hard to imagine how huge that golden eagle must be…" They were all astonished.
Clearly, everyone had misjudged the creature's size because of the great distance. It was actually a massive mythical bird.
Ye Fan gazed at the distant sky and said, "There's no way such a huge eagle could exist. Its entire body is golden, shining brightly, and it's so massive, it's almost like the golden-winged Roc from myth!"
At these words, everyone froze once more.