Passing through the space-time tunnel, Ian Song and the others found themselves on a gigantic platform suspended in the void. The five who had rushed ahead were already standing there, waiting.
"You guys?!"
Seeing the five on the platform, Galen Silverwing and Rhea Redmoon’s faces turned extremely ugly.
"Third Brother, it’s been years. Your Second Brother and I have missed you quite a bit!"
A middle-aged man among them smiled as he greeted Galen Silverwing.
A handsome youth among the five smiled at Rhea Redmoon and said, "Fifth Sister, you’ve really kept us guessing! You found the Life Ancient Land and didn’t tell us—how disappointing!"
Galen Silverwing and Rhea Redmoon both kept their faces cold and said nothing.
Back then, Galen Silverwing and Rhea Redmoon were enemies. During a fierce battle, they accidentally entered the Temple of Life and, through its records, learned about the Life Ancient Land.
The Life Ancient Land contained great fortunes. If word got out, their clans would reap the main benefits, while Galen and Rhea would only receive a small reward.
So, both of them decided to hide the matter from their clan leaders.
After discussing, they staged a drama for their clans, pretending to be a fake couple. Later, their clans joined forces to hunt them down. Though they managed to escape, a God-King personally intervened, forcing them to flee into the Primordial Forbidden Zone, where a mysterious existence captured and sealed them in that strange space.
Feeling their souls slipping away, they had no choice but to seal their own consciousness and sleep within that void.
"Third Brother, since you two managed to return here, you must know how to get into the Life Ancient Land, right?"
Galen Silverwing’s eldest brother asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Galen Silverwing replied crisply. At this point, there was no way to hide it.
Galen Silverwing admitted readily—at this point, there was no way to hide it.
"Excellent!" his eldest brother nodded in satisfaction.
"Don’t worry, Third Brother. The clan doesn’t know about this. As long as all of us here become God-Kings, the clan won’t pursue the matter any further!"
Rhea Redmoon snorted coldly, "Hmph! You wish!"
"Sister-in-law, why be so distant? We’re all family, after all!" the other man said with a grin.
"Shut up! Who’s one of your Jensen Clan? Galen and I were only ever fake husband and wife!" Rhea Redmoon snapped angrily.
Hearing this, Galen Silverwing’s eyes dimmed. To be honest, he really admired Rhea Redmoon, but she only saw him as a collaborator.
"A fake marriage!"
Ian Song was surprised to hear this.
After more discussion, Ian Song learned the five’s identities: two were Galen Silverwing’s eldest and second brothers, the other three were Rhea Redmoon’s clan-cousins.
All five had peak Upper Heavenly God strength. That’s why Galen Silverwing and Rhea Redmoon had no choice but to compromise; together, the five were far stronger than the pair.
"Who is this Upper-Rank God? Why not just kill him!"
Galen Silverwing’s eldest brother looked at Ian Song and smiled.
"You dare!"
Rhea Redmoon stepped in front of Ian Song to shield him, which surprised Ian.
Seeing this, Galen Silverwing’s eyes flickered, but he explained, "The starry ancient road to the Life Ancient Land is filled with artificial restrictions in the first half, and natural grand arrays in the second. Ian Song’s formation skill is not weaker than a typical God-King’s; if we want to enter, we’ll have to rely on him!"
"I see! Little brother, I was too rash earlier—please don’t take it to heart!" the eldest brother said with a smile, though he didn’t look the least bit apologetic.
Ian Song wasn’t angry.
The other side was strong enough to decide his life or death with a word; he was still weak. But once he had the chance, he’d definitely pay them back.
"It’s fine."
He replied blandly.
The other man just smiled, then ignored Ian Song—after all, to a peak Upper Heavenly God, an Upper-Rank God was nothing. He could wipe him out with a wave of his hand, so there was no need to pay him much attention.
Just then, Galen Silverwing tossed out a bead.
Ian Song’s eyes flickered—this bead was similar to the restriction treasure he’d obtained, though he was sure Galen’s was a grade lower than his own.
Galen Silverwing activated the bead, and as it glowed, a halo of light enveloped the group.
"Nice move, Third Brother! Even a restriction treasure orb like this, you managed to get your hands on!" praised his eldest brother.
Galen Silverwing replied with a heavy note of resentment, "No matter how good my methods, can they compare to what you’ve gained? Rhea and I risked betraying our clans and nearly died in the Primordial Forbidden Zone, but you all show up at the last minute and reap the rewards without lifting a finger. How could I not be bitter?"
His eldest brother just chuckled, showing no anger.
"Let’s go!"
The group soared up from the platform, and soon a starry ancient road appeared beneath their feet.
Rhea Redmoon said to Ian Song, "Stick close to me!"
"Alright, Sister!" Ian replied.
The starry ancient road was paved with glowing stardust, scattering a gentle radiance, but it was far from peaceful. Restrictions popped up constantly, only to be neutralized by the restriction treasure orb.
Watching these restrictions, Ian Song’s eyes gleamed as he constantly compared them to the formation patterns in his mind, deepening his understanding with each step.
They walked this road for nine days and nine nights before finally reaching the end. By then, the restriction orb had developed several fine cracks and looked ready to shatter at any moment, making Galen Silverwing’s heart ache.
At the end of the starry road was another platform.
On this platform stood nine sky-piercing bridges, each leading off into unknown regions, shrouded in darkness and thick mist.
With a flash of movement, all seven peak Upper Heavenly Gods—including Galen Silverwing and Rhea Redmoon—rushed onto the bridges, eager to proceed.
Unfortunately, as they neared the dense mist, they found themselves unable to advance any further.
Probing around, they discovered powerful formations hidden within the gloom.
Some tried brute force, unleashing thunderous attacks on the formations, but after several attempts, they had to give up—they couldn’t shake them at all.
Others tried their hand at solving it with their own formation knowledge, but their skills were far too shallow to succeed.
Helpless, the seven could only retreat from the skybridges.
Rhea Redmoon smiled at Ian Song, "Little brother, it’s up to you now!"
"Alright!" Ian nodded and strode onto one of the skybridges, studying the formation ahead for a full three hours.
"Kid, can you break the formation or not?" Galen Silverwing’s second brother shouted impatiently.
Ian Song looked back coldly at him. "If I can’t, why don’t you try?"
"You little Upper-Rank God, do you believe I’ll kill you right now?" the man roared in anger.
"Then go ahead—kill me! If you do, you’ll never get inside!" Ian Song retorted fearlessly.
The other man glared, but in the end, he didn’t dare make a move. He knew Ian Song was the only one who could break the formation and open the way forward.
Ian Song turned away, focusing on the formation before him, his mind rapidly analyzing and deducing its patterns.
Time ticked by, and the others grew increasingly impatient, but Ian remained calm, immersed in his calculations.
Finally, after three hours, Ian Song’s eyes lit up with understanding. He raised his hand and began to lay down a series of restriction-breaking seals.
As the seals activated, the dense mist ahead slowly parted, revealing a hidden passage.
The seven peak Upper Heavenly Gods stared in amazement, finally realizing Ian Song’s true value.
Rhea Redmoon shot Ian a proud smile, while Galen Silverwing’s eyes filled with both relief and admiration.
Ian Song stepped aside and gestured for the others to enter first.
The group quickly filed into the newly revealed passage, hearts pounding with anticipation for the opportunities ahead.
Ian Song followed last, a faint smile playing at his lips as he prepared for whatever challenges lay inside the Life Ancient Land.