Chapter 0446 – The Barrier that Divides Heaven and Earth

"Hee hee!!"

In the darkness, several children's figures suddenly appeared—some dressed in red, others in colorful clothing; some with hair tied in pigtails, others wearing traditional red bellybands. All were young children, laughing with innocent, radiant voices. They cast a glance at Yi Tianxing and Nannan, then spoke with crisp voices that seemed like an invitation.

But that innocent invitation was chilling to the bone.

Nannan heard it, and a trace of confusion appeared on her face. Her steps shifted slightly as if she were about to walk into the darkness, drawn by some unknown force.

"You can't go. If you do, something terrifying might happen. There's a powerful bewitching force in that voice," Yi Tianxing said, reaching out and grabbing her firmly while letting out a sharp shout. The shout contained a trace of spiritual energy that jolted Nannan awake instantly.

"I just saw a few kids… They asked me to play hide-and-seek. I don't know why, but I really wanted to go play with them," Nannan said, returning to her senses, bewilderment on her face. She didn't understand how that desire had taken over her so suddenly.

"Don't worry about it. This mine is full of ominous forces, but as long as we don't provoke them, we should remain relatively safe."

Yi Tianxing took a deep breath as he spoke, while thoughts raced rapidly through his mind.

This mine was riddled with oddities. But he'd noticed a pattern: as long as he didn't provoke these entities, they didn't actually attack him. And Yi Tianxing could clearly sense just how powerful they were. Even a glance or a gesture from them emitted a terrifying, irresistible aura.

Yet strangely, they never truly made a move. Even when encountered face-to-face, they would vanish quickly as long as he didn't provoke them.

That behavior was, in itself, deeply unsettling—so strange that even Yi Tianxing didn't dare linger too long.

Once involved, who knew what consequences might follow?

"This place is seriously cursed… We shouldn't stay long," Yi Tianxing thought to himself grimly.

Still, having come this far, turning back without trying made no sense. He was already at the edge of the divine source mine. Leaving now would mean failure at the final step—and that wasn't who Yi Tianxing was.

Bang!!

He smashed through another barrier.

"We've arrived."

As the final obstruction shattered, light pierced through the darkness, dispersing it completely. But the light wasn't blinding; instead, it was gentle and warm. As it washed over them, every cell—and even the soul—seemed to tremble with joy, as if a child had returned to its mother's womb. Yi Tianxing's true essence and mana began growing without effort, as if nature itself was cultivating him.

"Source crystal ore… It really is divine source. So much divine source—how could a place like this even exist? The radiance is all from divine source—it's practically an immeasurable treasure trove."

Yi Tianxing narrowed his eyes and looked around.

Before them was a mine cavern, completely unlike the dead, pitch-black tunnels they'd traveled through before. This space glittered with divine crystals embedded into the rock walls. Layers of divine radiance intertwined, a kaleidoscope of color like a dream. Light shimmered like celestial mist, cascading from every surface.

The amount of divine source present was staggering. Large or small, divine crystals were everywhere—some as big as fists, others the size of a thumbnail.

Each glowed with the same intensity. Threads of profound Dao rhythm interlaced through the air, as though celestial music echoed faintly throughout the cavern.

To bathe in this place was to be close to the Dao itself.

This place far surpassed any blessed land or cave heaven Yi Tianxing had ever seen.

Yet even within this brilliance, the overlapping divine light distorted the space. It was hard to see clearly inside the divine source cave. One could only vaguely make out the glowing crystals. It was… strange.

"So this is divine source? It feels incredible. I'm sure that if I trained here, I could break through to the next realm in no time," Nannan said with delight, staring in awe at the divine source mine. This was a true holy land—its value beyond estimation.

No one could imagine how much influence such a massive divine source mine could exert.

"Brother, are we going in now?" Nannan asked.

"We might not be able to enter. Nannan, look how many corpses are lying outside the cave. That's not just a few."

Yi Tianxing took a deep breath and didn't rush in.

Everyone desired divine source. But the corpses at the entrance clearly warned that obtaining it could cost your life.

Tempting as it was, you needed the power to seize it.

"If divine source were that easy to obtain, then in Dark City, the supply wouldn't be so scarce. With divine source cultivation, the strongest in the city would've long surpassed the Fate Aperture Realm—many would be in the Fate Map Realm by now."

If it were easy to get, this divine source wouldn't still be here.

Swish!!

A flash of divine light erupted from the Heavenly Emperor Hongmeng Tower. In an instant, the piles of bones on the ground were swept into the treasure.

Clack!!

"Brother, there's divine source on the ground."

With the bones gone, divine crystals buried underneath were revealed. Judging by the scene, the dead had managed to extract these crystals with their lives—but hadn't lived long enough to use them. A true tragedy.

"There's quite a lot."

Yi Tianxing examined them carefully. There were at least twenty or thirty fist-sized crystals, and over a hundred smaller ones. This was no small haul.

Just a single thumb-sized divine source could help a cultivator break through from the Divine Sea Realm to its peak—and even into the Fate Aperture Realm. Divine source wasn't measured in pieces, but in weights.

This find was pure windfall.

Without hesitation, he swept all of it into the treasure tower, clearing the area completely—down to the last speck of dust.

"Nannan, take the tower and stay by my side. Don't leave me, not even half a step."

Yi Tianxing studied the divine source cave for a moment. Though he knew it was likely extremely dangerous, he had to try. Having seen the bounty with his own eyes, retreating now would be a blow to his confidence.

He had to test it himself.

Bang!!

He moved toward the entrance. But just as he was about to step inside, an invisible barrier suddenly appeared. His body slammed into it instinctively. His powerful physique reflexively responded with an explosive burst of strength.

The impact created a loud boom, but the force was like a stone dropped into the sea—vanishing without a trace.

Caught off guard, he almost stumbled backward.

"There's a barrier," Yi Tianxing muttered, his expression darkening. He hadn't expected a barrier here. And not just any barrier—his blow, backed by over 100,000 catties of force, hadn't even caused a ripple. It was unbelievable. Worse, a powerful rebound struck back at him, nearly as strong as his original attack.

This barrier was meant to keep people out.

"Was it formed naturally… or placed by someone?"

Yi Tianxing frowned, thoughts racing.

Either way, getting inside was nearly impossible.

That brief attempt had shown him just how formidable the barrier was. Even someone ten or a hundred times stronger than him wouldn't be able to break through. It was a chasm that completely severed the outside world from the divine source cave.

"We can't get in," Nannan tried herself and found it impossible to even get close. She couldn't phase through.

"But then… how did those divine sources get out? Did they just fly out by themselves?"

It didn't make sense. Others had clearly extracted divine source from inside, so why was there a barrier now?

Unless the barrier had only appeared recently… or had always been there, with some other method of extraction.

"Brother! The treasure tower can go through!"

Nannan said with surprise.

Indeed, part of the tower in her hand had already passed through the barrier. But when she touched it, the barrier still remained solid.

"Objects can pass… but people can't. And once something passes through, all connection to it is cut off—completely severed," Yi Tianxing noted, scanning the ground beyond the barrier. He spotted several weapons and artifacts scattered on the other side.

They were likely belongings of the dead—just beyond reach, now blocked by the barrier. Once something crossed over, it was lost.

"Interesting… So this barrier existed all along. No wonder Qin Hongyi was so unconcerned about telling me about the divine source mine. She wasn't worried I'd try to steal the crystals—because she already knew about the barrier. Without special methods, there's no way to retrieve anything inside. Clever fox…"

Yi Tianxing sneered inwardly.

Without preparation, even if you found the mine, you'd leave empty-handed.