The Forbidden Land of Primordial Times

Gu Qingfeng suddenly realized—no wonder those giants had no cultivation but possessed incredibly formidable physical bodies. It turned out they were afflicted by the Heavenly Dao’s curse, which caused their bodies to mutate and left them soulless.

Without a soul, they naturally couldn’t comprehend the Great Dao or cultivate. Their only path was to refine their physical forms, and due to the curse, their mutated bodies were extraordinarily powerful. Even focusing solely on physical cultivation made them a force to be reckoned with.

In fact, their lack of a soul rendered them immune to all soul-based attacks, illusions, and the like.

At this moment, the Elephant Demon spoke again, "Master, how did you encounter the Barbarian Tribe? Did you venture into the Primordial Forbidden Land?"

"Primordial Forbidden Land? Why do you say that?"

"Because the Barbarian Tribe exists only within the Primordial Forbidden Land."

Gu Qingfeng frowned slightly. Though he didn’t know what the Primordial Forbidden Land was, any place labeled a "forbidden land" couldn’t be good.

To think his luck was so terrible—not only had he not landed directly in the demonic lair, but he’d also stumbled into a forbidden land instead.

"Tell me more about the Primordial Forbidden Land."

Eager to prove his worth, the Elephant Demon held nothing back.

"The Primordial Forbidden Land is an ancient forbidden zone that has existed since the primordial era. It’s one of the oldest forbidden lands in the Cangming Realm, once the homeland of the Barbarian Tribe. Back then, they were still human, but after being cursed by the Heavenly Dao, even their land transformed into a forbidden territory.

The Primordial Forbidden Land is located in the Verdant Wood Domain, infused with the Heavenly Dao’s curse—specifically targeting souls. It’s an extremely perilous place. Ordinary beings perish instantly upon entering, their souls scattering to the wind. Even powerful cultivators can only resist briefly and dare not linger for long, lest they risk annihilation.

The deeper one goes, the heavier the curse’s grip on the soul becomes. Not even ancestral elders or supreme experts dare to venture too far in.

Inside the Primordial Forbidden Land, once the curse erodes a soul, the victim becomes a mindless husk—a Dao Slave—forever enslaved by the forbidden land."

Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng felt a pang of frustration. What kind of mess was this?!

So the Barbarian Tribe he encountered wasn’t even the most dangerous thing in the Primordial Forbidden Land? There was also a Heavenly Dao curse?

Damn it!

Was fate forcing him to stay in the Qing Realm forever?!

Wait—hold on!

If the Heavenly Dao’s curse corrodes souls, why was he unaffected? Had he simply not encountered any stray curse energy?

No, that couldn’t be it. If ordinary beings died instantly upon entering, then the entire Primordial Forbidden Land must be saturated with curse energy—just denser the further in one went.

If that was the case, why didn’t he feel anything at all?

Given the depth of his Innate Sacred Physique, it was impossible for him not to notice something amiss.

Suddenly, it dawned on him.

He understood why the curse didn’t affect him—because he was the freaking Heavenly Dao!

Well, more accurately, a Heavenly Dao Controller. Though only of a Minor Thousand World, it was enough to render him immune to the Cangming Realm’s Heavenly Dao curse, as they shared the same origin.

Wait a minute!

Didn’t that mean this perilous forbidden land, deadly to ordinary cultivators, was actually a treasure trove for him?

An untouched land, existing since the primordial era, unexplored by cultivators. Sure, the Barbarian Tribe lived there, but they didn’t cultivate conventionally and had low intelligence—they wouldn’t have used up many natural treasures...

Moreover, the Primordial Forbidden Land might hold some earth-shattering secrets. Otherwise, why would the Heavenly Dao have cursed it?

For a moment, Gu Qingfeng’s heart raced. The Primordial Forbidden Land was practically a gold mine!

But then he recalled the towering, muscle-bound figures of the Barbarian Tribe, and his enthusiasm was doused like cold water.

He wasn’t strong enough yet!

The priority now was to survive this crisis and find a way to condense his Divine Core. That was the true path forward!

"What’s this Verdant Wood Domain you mentioned? Are there humans and demons there?"

"Reporting to Master, the Verdant Wood Domain is one of the Cangming Realm’s Three Thousand Dao Domains. Besides humans and demons, traces of other races can also be found there."

"Three Thousand Dao Domains? How big is a Dao Domain?"

"This humble demon isn’t entirely sure, but even the smallest Dao Domain is several times larger than the Qing Realm, let alone the larger ones."

Gu Qingfeng sucked in a sharp breath. The smallest Dao Domain was several times bigger than the Qing Realm?

No wonder the Cangming Realm was a Major Thousand World—it dwarfed a Minor Thousand World by an unimaginable margin.

"What about races? Aside from humans, demons, and the Barbarian Tribe, what else exists in the Cangming Realm?"

"The Cangming Realm is home to countless races. This humble demon doesn’t know them all, but I’ve heard of the Pupil Tribe, Winged Tribe, Celestial Tribe, Spirit Tribe, Fiend Tribe, Enigma Tribe, Charm Tribe, Illusion Tribe..."

Gu Qingfeng listened, dumbfounded. At this point, he almost wanted to clamp the Elephant Demon’s mouth shut—but these races wouldn’t cease to exist just because the demon stopped listing them.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, the Elephant Demon finally exhausted his knowledge of the known races.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingfeng stood petrified.

Only one thought echoed in his mind:

We’re screwed!

Totally and utterly screwed!

His days of recklessness were over!

Once, he’d naively assumed the Cangming Realm was like the Qing Realm—black and white, just humans and demons. But no! Turns out, besides humans and demons, there were Barbarians, Pupil Tribe, Winged Tribe, and so on...

The complexity was mind-blowing!

Absolutely explosive!

Honestly, what was so great about the Cangming Realm? Maybe he should just stay in the Qing Realm.

Of course, as an ambitious and hardworking man, Gu Qingfeng wouldn’t actually stop here. Those thoughts were just venting.

After all, he hadn’t yet ascended to immortality, hadn’t settled scores with the Sacred Tribe, hadn’t reached the pinnacle of martial arts, hadn’t had heart-to-heart talks with fairy maidens and saintesses...

Why fear the endless martial path? Every step forward brought its own joy!

Stay strong, ol’ buddy!

"Master, do you have any other questions?" the Elephant Demon asked cautiously.

"No. Go back to your banquet and lie down," Gu Qingfeng replied, his tone utterly lifeless.

"Ah?!" The Elephant Demon froze.

"Ah what? Scram!" Gu Qingfeng waved him off impatiently.

The Elephant Demon nearly wept. What kind of person was this?! Even if one discarded a tool after use, this was too much!

It was like being toilet paper—used once and tossed aside.

With that, Gu Qingfeng left, intending to find his wife.

Calculating the time, he’d been in the Upper Realm for several days already. It was time to return and reassure her.

Truthfully, he’d wanted to go back earlier, but first, the Heavenly Elephant Ancestor had detained him, and then spatial turbulence dragged him into the Primordial Forbidden Land. Only now did he finally have a chance to return.