Chapter 143: Beauty Fades in the Snap of a Finger

Possessing mysterious and formidable abilities, Lin An had now become the pillar of strength for everyone present.

Even those who harbored doubts about Lin An's identity kept their mouths shut at this moment.

Even Liu Zhiyun, Li Changqing, and others, who had always harbored small ambitions, did not dare to entertain any ill thoughts right now.

After all, Lin An was no different from an immortal in their eyes, while they were merely like ants. In a place like this, if Lin An truly harbored killing intent, no one would be able to resist him.

The group continued forward, and soon discovered that as they left the Sacred Wasteland, the surrounding area gradually began to show signs of life. Mysterious birds and beasts started to appear, and they even encountered a foraging saber-toothed tiger.

The saber-toothed tiger did not provoke them, and Lin An couldn't be bothered to make a move to kill it.

Ye Fan and the others were immensely astonished, never expecting that the saber-toothed tiger from Earth's legends would appear here. If Lin An hadn't discovered it in advance, it was likely that their group would have crashed straight into the beast, and very few would have survived its jaws.

"What kind of world is this, anyway?"

Liu Yi'yi's eyes were filled with terror. The nine dragons pulling a coffin, the Thunder Sound Temple, and the mysterious Sacred Wasteland seemed like fairy tales to her. At the same time, it was a sheer stroke of luck that they had made it here alive.

"This world definitely exceeds your imagination. Here, soaring through the skies, plunging across the earth, and shattering stars with a single punch are not merely things from myth and legend. We will witness them very soon," Lin An replied.

The others also pricked up their ears, hearing Lin An's words.

Although they still held some doubts in their hearts, they had already experienced such absurd events after all; even if they were to see immortals from myths and legends, they would probably be able to accept it in their hearts.

The group climbed over a mountain, and a pitch-black lake appeared before their eyes. The dark lake was lifeless, devoid of any sign of life, and even the surrounding area was affected, completely barren of vitality.

"It is not advisable to stay here long. I think we should leave this place as quickly as possible!" Lin An said.

The longer they stayed here, the more likely they were to encounter various terrifying fierce beasts.

The others nodded. This place was simply too bizarre, and they constantly felt as though something was staring at them.

Climbed over another low hill and gazing into the distance toward that towering peak, the structures there became increasingly clear. They were vast in scale, with continuous rows of palaces, resembling heavenly abodes that had fallen into the mortal realm.

However, Lin An found it very strange, because he could not see anything at all.

"Could those be the immortal palaces within the Sacred Wasteland?" Lin An muttered to himself.

Although he couldn't see them, Lin An felt no excessive regret. Places like that were not meant for just anyone to enter.

"Why do I feel my body getting so hot?!"

Just at that moment, someone spoke with a very abnormal expression on their face.

"Me too!"

The others chimed in one after another.

Soon, everyone noticed the abnormalities among each other. Their skin was frighteningly red, as if it were about to bleed. Everyone felt an intense burning sensation, as though a raging fire were burning within their bodies.

This feeling was utterly excruciating, as if their entire bodies were enveloped in flames. Many people could not endure the agony, collapsing onto the ground and rolling around continuously, yet even this did little to relieve the pain surging from within their bodies.

"I don't want to die..." someone screamed in terror.

This was a sudden calamity; no one knew why it was happening, nor did they understand their own condition. They only felt as though they were being subjected to death by a thousand cuts, their bodies slowly being dismembered.

"Just let me die... This is too unbearable..."

Struggling, weeping, rolling, and screaming—many were driven close to desperation, howling aloud. The excruciating pain caused their minds to gradually blur.

Lin An stood aside. Among all of them, he was the only one completely unaffected. Perhaps it was because he had appeared midway, or perhaps because he had consumed a few divine fruits, or perhaps it was due to the protection of the system.

Liu Yi'yi had eaten a fruit from the restricted area, so, just like Ye Fan and Pang Bo, she would not age, yet she was likewise enduring the unbearable agony. Unable to bear watching, Lin An simply knocked her unconscious.

This condition would last for a full two hours. When they woke up again, their bitter seas would be activated, and at the same time, they would encounter the person who would lead them onto the path of cultivation.

Two hours later, Ye Fan was the first to wake up, followed closely by the others waking up one after another.

"Why have I become like this?"

Discovering that they had inexplicably lost decades of their lifespans, probably no one could accept it. Cries of disbelief rang out, and some even sat directly on the ground, weeping, unable to accept such a result.

Only Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and Liu Yi'yi had not aged; on the contrary, they had grown much younger. Especially Ye Fan, who had returned entirely to his youth.

Once they figured out everything that had happened here, no one could keep their equilibrium.

"Why were you unaffected? When we were suffering just now, you didn't have a single thing happen to you?" someone roared with an unbalanced heart.

The changes in their bodies had caused them to lose their reason completely, entirely forgetting that their lives were actually in Lin An's hands.

Lin An cast a single glance their way, instantly causing everyone to shut their mouths.

"Since we could age in the blink of an eye, does that mean there might also be a way for us to regain our youth? Are there immortals living atop that celestial palace? If we could beg for a single immortal pill, perhaps we could recover?"

At that moment, someone spoke up with unwillingness. As long as it could restore their youth, they would likely be willing to pay any price.

Lin An did not voice any objection to stop them. After all, he knew nothing whatsoever about this world. In the original story, they had also walked in the direction of the celestial palace before encountering the person who led them away.

If they continued wandering aimlessly like this, they might run into a fierce beast and get themselves completely wiped out.

The others were currently headless flies with no core direction, and without thinking much further, they immediately agreed with that person's suggestion.

Because they were now frail and aged, they walked toward the location of the celestial palace under the support of Lin An, Ye Fan, and the others.

Climbing mountain after mountain, they discovered that the distance between them and the celestial palace never seemed to change at all. Despair began to creep onto the faces of many.

Just as the sky began to grow dark, a brilliant rainbow suddenly streaked across the sky, cutting through the firmament and standing out remarkably against the dim twilight.

"Could that be an immortal?" someone asked.

Being able to fly on a sword—even if they weren't immortals, they certainly weren't ordinary people.

At that exact moment, the figure on the rainbow seemed to have spotted their group as well, suddenly changing direction toward their location and appearing before them in the blink of an eye.