A rainbow beam, one meter wide and two meters long, stood straight up in the sky, radiant and sparkling with a textured quality, almost like a piece of translucent crystal.
Inside the beam, there was a young woman, about eighteen or nineteen years old. She had jade-like features, a slender figure, a tiny waist, and long, straight legs. She wore a light blue dress that floated naturally in the air, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly aura.
Everyone stared in awe. The young woman, whose beauty seemed to have no trace of earthly imperfection, resembled an immortal fairy, with the grace of a pristine lotus flower covered in dewdrops or a fresh snow lotus on a snowy peak—giving off an air of being untouched by the world.
While the world was not short of beautiful women, it was rare to encounter one with such a transcendent aura, as though she had stepped outside of the mortal world and fused with the fresh natural world.
The enchanting young woman remained calm, gazing down at the group. She spoke a sentence, her voice sweet and melodious, but it took the crowd a moment to understand its meaning, as it was phrased in ancient Chinese, soft and subtle, requiring some thought to fully grasp.
"We are a group of stranded people. Are you an immortal? Can you save us?" One of the female students immediately started crying. She had become withered and aged, her skin wrinkled and her body frail. Finally seeing what appeared to be an immortal girl, she immediately begged for help.
Lin Jia and Li Xiaoman also stepped forward, their faces filled with hope. They were once extraordinarily beautiful and proud women, but now, after suffering such a blow, it was more painful than death. Seeing such a stunningly beautiful young woman made them more desperate to restore their appearance.
The light in the air shimmered like a piece of precious jade, as if it had captured a fragment of the rainbow's essence, trapping an ethereal, fairy-like woman inside.
In reality, the rainbow beam that looked like crystal was not solid; it simply appeared to have substance. The young woman inside was not restricted at all. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, gently swaying in the wind. Her eyes were like water, misty and enchanting, with a soft, dewy look. Her skin was as white as snow, sparkling with a subtle glow—exquisite and otherworldly.
"Have you entered the Ancient Forbidden Land?"
Again, the sweet and melodious voice rang out, and the crowd pondered for a moment before they understood. The question was asking about their identity.
"Yes, we escaped from there," one of the female students, whose face had grown even older, cried out helplessly, looking up at the woman with a pleading expression. For a woman, this kind of tragedy was the most devastating blow. She was already completely disoriented, not thinking about how to speak.
The young woman in the rainbow beam showed a ripple of surprise on her delicate face upon hearing this.
"You survived… that's truly remarkable," she softly murmured. Her gaze swept over Liu Yiyi, Zhang Ziling, Pang Bo, and Ye Fan, before lingering on them for a moment. She seemed to recall something and then asked, astonished, "Is this your true age?"
"No, we aren't this old. We don't know why we've lost decades of our youth and vitality," a male student answered urgently, staring at the young woman with anxiety and hope.
However, the woman did not look at him. It seemed as though she already knew about their loss of youth and vitality. Her question was directed at Ye Fan and Pang Bo.
Ye Fan responded, "We were in our twenties, but somehow, some of us aged, while others became younger."
"Really?" The young woman in the sky looked shocked, staring at Ye Fan and Pang Bo intently. She asked, "Did you eat a red fruit, bright red, dripping with juice, and crystal-clear?"
Ye Fan was certain that the strange fruit they had eaten was exactly as the young woman described. There was no way to deny it now, especially since Zhou Yi and the others had also seen it. He nodded.
The young woman in the rainbow beam stared at Ye Fan and Pang Bo with a peculiar expression, as though examining precious gems. Their gazes made both of them feel a little uneasy and uncomfortable.
"Is there any hope for those who have aged?" Wang Ziwen, unable to stay calm, asked eagerly. She wanted to know if there was any chance to restore her youth.
"Don't despair. Although your appearance may be hard to restore, you have gained much. When you enter the outside world, many people will compete for you." Seeing the odd expressions on the others' faces, the young woman continued, "Don't worry, being fought over is not a bad thing. In fact, for you, it's an opportunity."
"I… just want to restore my appearance." A female student sobbed, her appearance so altered that she had lost the will to live.
"Alright, I'll take you out of this Ancient Forest." The mysterious young woman waved her hand gently, and immediately, a beam of rainbow light fell, enveloping the group, slowly lifting them into the air, rising alongside her.
This truly felt like a mysterious world, and the group speculated that this must be some form of immortal technique.
"This place is extremely far from populated areas. If you want to walk out on your own, it's nearly impossible. This primal forest is home to many terrifying beasts, and even I would have to avoid them when passing through."
Pang Bo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you from the Immortal Palace up ahead?"
"Immortal Palace…" The young woman in the rainbow beam looked confused and said, "What Immortal Palace?"
Pang Bo pointed ahead toward a high mountain, saying, "Isn't there a huge complex of palaces up there? The buildings stretch for miles, with grand halls and countless palaces. I've even seen many cranes flying there."
"Turns out the legend is true…" The young woman's eyes widened with surprise.
"What legend? Didn't you see it?"
"Right, I saw nothing." The young woman in the rainbow beam seemed to be deep in thought. She said, "The Ancient Forbidden Land, the forbidden domain of ancient times, a life-death zone. Throughout history, anyone who has entered and survived has always spoken of seeing an Immortal Palace nearby, but they can never reach it."
The group finally understood. Their experiences had confirmed what the young woman was saying. Someone asked, "So, is it just an illusion?"
"It's not an illusion. Only at certain times and with specific methods can one truly approach the Immortal Palace. However, such a great opportunity is beyond the reach of most people—it's something one can only dream of."
Zhou Yi, deeply concerned about their situation, asked, "What happens to those who survive after entering the Ancient Forbidden Land?"
The young woman, looking as pure as a snow lotus, glanced at him and answered calmly, "Entering the life-death zone is a one-in-a-hundred chance of survival. Even if you manage to come out alive, you will be left with hair as white as frost, and your life will be nearing its end. However, their 'suffering sea' is awakened, and if they embark on the path of cultivation, they can achieve great progress."
"Can we restore our youth?"
"It's difficult, but not absolutely impossible. As cultivation deepens, vitality naturally grows stronger. After reaching a certain level, you may be able to change your appearance." These words gave many people hope.
"What exactly is in the Ancient Forbidden Land? What kind of power caused us to lose our youth?" Wang Ziwen couldn't help but ask, a question that troubled many of them. They resented it but were helpless.
"This is a very old question. Throughout history, many have asked it, but no one can really answer it," the young woman said as she carried the group swiftly through the air. The surrounding light sparkled like a rainbow streaking through the sky, soft light blocking the fierce winds, allowing them to speak without obstruction. She continued, "Legend has it that beneath the depths of the life-death zone lies something called 'desolation,' possibly a person from ancient times or a terrifying force."
"Hasn't anyone explored it?" Ye Fan couldn't help but ask.
"Since ancient times, countless people have explored it, but without exception, they all perished." The mysterious young woman looked back at the ancient forest behind them and said, "Every inch of land there has been stained with blood. In the past, a certain Immortal Sect, at the peak of its power, sent tens of thousands of strong cultivators to try to enter the Ancient Forbidden Land, seeking the legendary item. But nearly all of them died there, and the sect was almost wiped out. Only three or five people managed to escape, and their inheritance was almost severed."
"That terrifying?" Pang Bo gasped.
"It's a land soaked in endless blood. It's tragic that the once mighty Immortal Sect, with tens of thousands of strong cultivators, was wiped out. Even several peak cultivators, capable of transcending nature, became 'desolation slaves,' forever enslaved beneath the ancient abyss."
Upon hearing this, the group couldn't help but recall the terrifying figure wielding a massive iron chain, a likely "desolation slave."
The rainbow beam moved swiftly, like lightning, and the endless primal forest below quickly receded. However, even with such speed, it took nearly an hour to reach the edge of the ancient forest.
By now, the sky had darkened, and in the distance, a small town was lit up. As they neared, seven or eight beams of rainbow light shot into the sky, each one a different color, with a figure standing inside each beam.
"It's Wei Wei returning."
"Has anything new been found around the Ancient Forbidden Land? Experts from nearby caves and blessed lands are coming, as if searching for something. Did you encounter any of them?"
"Since our elders have sensed something from the Ancient Forbidden Land, the powerful cultivators from those blessed lands naturally would be aware."
These figures inside the rainbow beams were elders, seemingly from Wei Wei's family.
"Who are these people…"
"Could they be the ones who entered the Ancient Forbidden Land and made it out alive?"
After hearing Wei Wei's confirmation, the elders laughed heartily.
"Hahaha... indeed, their 'suffering sea' has already been activated. They are excellent cultivation prospects!"
The group landed quickly in the small town and entered a brightly lit hall.
"How are you so young?" The elders were immediately astonished upon seeing Ye Fan and Pang Bo, clearly not believing it.
"Could they have eaten the legendary fruit?" one elder exclaimed, "The nine sacred mountains surround the ancient abyss, and according to legend, each mountain has a sacred spring and a rare sacred fruit—nine sacred springs and nine sacred fruits. Anyone who gets one can be reborn! But how could these mere mortals approach there?!"