The Sacred Ruins

The colorful vines grew exuberantly under the sun.

Some were fiery red and filled the sky with a scarlet glow when their leaves fluttered in the wind. Some were snowy white with gently swaying leaves akin to snowflakes, while others were jet black like a hanging black dragon...

Every large city would have dozens of vines hanging down from hundreds to tens of thousands of meters above. This incited the curiosity of many people.

"Where exactly are these things?" Chu Feng didn’t feel too encouraged by these vines that had appeared in various regions and attracted quite a lot of attention.

It has been said that at least a few thousand people have disappeared into the mist after climbing up along the vines.

Some were mutants while others were ordinary people. They had decided to stake everything in order to change their current status.

Yellow Ox suspiciously observed and said, "They look a bit like Constellation Vines."

"Are they famous plants?" Chu Feng asked.

"Umm, extremely famous. If they were to truly mature, they would blot out the sun and cover the starry sky." Yellow Ox’s small and delicate face wore a serious expression.

Chu Feng was surprised. Were they really so powerful?!

"This is only the early stage of the Constellation Vine. They’ve only started to sprout and are still far from maturation or evolution. It’ll undergo many changes as it grows."

Yellow Ox’s face became tense and solemn as he told everyone that the most astonishing aspect of the Constellation Vine was, as described in its name, the fact that it was rooted in the starry sky. The vine might even be connected to thousands of stars.

Connected to thousands of stars? Chu Feng was flabbergasted. Wasn’t this a plant? It almost seemed like something out of the 1001 Arabian Nights.

"Only a handful would ever reach that stage," Yellow Ox explained solemnly. These plants didn’t even exist back in his homeworld. What he knew came from ancient records.

"Constellation Vines have grown to fill the sky within a single day. What does this indicate?" Chu Feng frowned.

"The seeds could’ve drifted through space to sprout in our recovering world or it could’ve been done intentionally by someone from the outer realms," Yellow Ox replied.

That was the reason why he had warned Chu Feng not to approach the mist carelessly. It was too risky because the mist might be linked to a certain path.

"A path exists for each famed mountain. Have the skies become the same? Why do I feel that the world is riddled with holes and scars? Or perhaps we could say that there are roads open in all directions," Chu Feng said with an odd expression.

"It’s been so since the beginning. Why else would those from the outer realms risk their lives to rush here? It’s all to reap fortunes," Yellow Ox replied with a complex expression as he gazed at the distant sky.

"The fact that there are several places in the world sealed off by powerful domains indicates how extraordinary it is. There were likely various Taoist ritual grounds therein," Yellow Ox pointed out.

Studying domains was much more difficult than grasping the various inheritances, perhaps tens of times more so. There were few willing to touch on this field even in the outer realms.

The few domain experts all belonged to top-level orthodoxies.

But here on earth, every famed mountain was covered by a domain. Although not everything had been revealed, it was certainly quite astonishing.

"Let me remind you once again that after the upheavals, one year of cultivation here almost equals tens if not hundreds of years in other places. Even the first-rate sects of the outer region could no longer sit still as certain Taoist grounds opened and the divine trees began to recover. However, they weren’t able to rush over due to various reasons." Yellow Ox mentioned the past once again. He wanted to remind Chu Feng to appreciate the opportunity to evolve rapidly. Once squandered, it would be a lifelong regret.

That was also the reason why the experts of various realms were exhausting every means at their disposal to open a path to this world and send their disciples over. They coveted the opportunity to become saints.

The black yak, the Donkey King, and the Manchurian Tiger crowded over as the Golden Condor King landed and overheard the final part of the conversation.

The immoral Manchurian Tiger shamelessly said, "Brother, you’ve yet to seize this moment to comprehend the domain book and take the initiative to seize all the famed mountains. When those goddesses, dao children, and saintesses arrive, they can only cast amorous glances at us. At that time, you can seize a group of goddesses to be your mistresses while I’ll grab a few white tigresses. We can also take in a few divine children. We can become saint ancestors just like that!"

Yellow Ox disdainfully retorted, "I fear you’ll be the first to betray us and offer to become their mount or guardian beast."

"Nonsense! Do I look like such a tasteless tiger?!"

"You do!" The black yak nodded seriously.

Lin Naoi returned the following day. She was dressed in rather casual and even somewhat rebellious apparel. She wore a loose t-shirt and ripped jeans which revealed parts of her fair skin.

Such an outfit didn’t quite match her status and personality. However, she was dressed like so as if she wanted to be closer to the common people.

She was rather tall with long and slender legs. She accompanied Chu Feng as they walked side by side and wandered aimlessly along the roads.

Despite being dressed as she was, her cold temperament couldn’t be hidden. She was like a snow lotus blooming atop a glacial mountain, carrying a frigid aura and delicate fragrance.

"The true great age is about to arrive." Lin Naoi glanced at the colorful vines in the distant sky. There were worry and anticipation in equal measures upon her delicate countenance.

The corporates understood much more about the upheavals than normal people. Even a youth like Lin Naoi had obtained a fair bit of secret information from the elders.

The world would soon undergo rapid changes. The strong might grow stronger or perhaps the weak may rise up instead. Grasping the opportunity to overtake the strong wasn’t impossible since a great change was about to arrive.

Even the lifeforms from the outer realms would likely descend during this imminent great era.

Lin Naoi glanced at Chu Feng before advising him, with all due seriousness, to act more reserved during this period. She told him that he should lie low and prioritize survival during the upcoming era.

Chu Feng nodded and acknowledged her good intentions. He naturally knew that the rafters that stick out are the first to rot away. Now that the famed mountains were covered in snow and eerie vines were hanging down from the sky, it was obvious that the whole state of the world was about to change.

It was difficult to clearly say who would rise or would fall. The peerless experts of the present times may become stronger or perhaps the newcomers might overtake them. The very structure of this world was about to shift.

The day all these corporations had been waiting for in silence had arrived.

Chu Feng couldn’t swallow the grievance he had suffered when he was surrounded and hunted down. He wanted to settle the final score before retreating to lie low.

He nodded after Lin Naoi’s repeated dissuasion. "I’ll cultivate in peace while waiting for the great changes."

It has been said that the lonesome should read the Nanhua Scripture, while the idle should recite the Huang Ting scripture. Perhaps he really needed to go through a period of peace and quiet.

Lin Naoi had already become a king level entity when they last met. Now, she had grown even stronger.

Chu Feng wanted to know more about the Elder Dragon King of the southern sea because that flood serpent made him feel quite apprehensive. He had waited for Lin Naoi’s arrival so that he could ask her.

He knew that Deity Biomedical previously had plans to explore the sea and should have obtained quite a lot of information.

"He has over 1500 years of cultivation. He has three sons and among them, Hei Teng was the youngest," Lin Naoi explained what she knew in detail.

Chu Feng felt pressured. Everything indicated that this old flood dragon was indeed extremely terrifying.

"He won’t come ashore anytime soon. The fortunes in the ocean aren’t at all lacking compared to the continents. There are numerous underwater residents, ruins and even legends of dragon lairs. More importantly, he’s now busy searching for the dragonification fruit. The fruit is absolutely crucial for him."

Lin Naoi guessed that the Elder Dragon King wasn’t likely to come ashore within a few months because the contest for the dragonification fruit was quite intense. Any related clue was enough to stir up a storm of blood. None of the overlords were willing to step aside.

"A lot can happen within a few months." Chu Feng smiled. There wasn’t much for him to worry because by that time, the world would have undergone great changes. All he had to do was grasp the opportunity to evolve continuously.

He had three seeds in hand. He would be able to plant them as long as the mutant soil on one of the famed mountains revived.

Afterward, Chu Feng inquired about the jade piece which recorded the Demon Flood Dragon Fists. Lin Naoi duly informed him that the Pre-Qin Research Institute hadn’t returned it to them.

Chu Feng left that day and headed towards Xijing along with the others. That was also where the Pre-Qin Research Institute was located.

Xijing served as the capital to 30 different Chinese dynasties and could be called an ancient capital with a long history.

It was also located quite close to the tomb of the first emperor of Qin.

The Pre-Qin Research Institute was located here. They started out researching the history of the Pre-Qin Era but later expanded gradually to become a corporation.

They had obtained certain ancient devices during their study of the Pre-Qin history and thus came into contact with supernatural powers. Thus, this corporation tended to pursue mysterious energies.

The ancient walls of Xijing were still standing. They were grey, mottled and had weathered great changes. It was like a painting hung between the earth and sky, a true piece of living history.

Several vines could be seen hanging down from the sky.

"There’s news! Some people have actually returned safely. They say that climbing to the end of the vines will lead you to a heavenly palace. Some have found divine fruits and evolved to become quasi-kings."

Chu Feng and the others received such a news while walking through Xijing City.

There were vines above every major city. More news came in soon afterward.

Some ordinary people have evolved to become mutants while some mutants have become quasi-kings!

"Wouldn’t we become peerless kings immediately if we were to climb up there?" The black yak was tempted.

"Don’t take the risk. I get the feeling that we’re being fished," Chu Feng warned the yak not to give in to temptation.

Regretfully, they were greeted by an empty institute. The whole building was silent and only a few unimportant staff remained.

The scene was to be expected after Chu Feng took down two corporations in a single day and shook the whole world. The other remaining corporations had naturally made ample preparations.

The Pre-Qin Research Institute chose to evade the calamity by moving away all important personnel.

But a familiar face appeared soon afterwards. It was precisely Ji Honglin whom they had met back at Shuntian. He was one of the high-level members of the Pre-Qin Research Institute and was also the one who gifted Chu Feng the piece of jade within which was recorded the Flood Dragon Fist.

"I came here in order to express my sincerity. We really weren’t involved in the siege against Brother Chu."

He then proceeded to offer the piece of jade and informed Chu Feng that it was borrowed from Deity Biomedicals. He had already obtained permission from the Lin family to hand it to Chu Feng.

Everything was quite unexpected. Not only did the other party dare to make an appearance, he was also quite humble and immediately handed Chu Feng the jade which Chu Feng so wanted.

It was the second part of the incomplete Flood Dragon Fist he had obtained some time ago.

Yellow Ox excitedly told Chu Feng that his combat strength would at least double once the complete Demon Flood Dragon Fist merged with the Demon Ox Fist!

Last time, he felt his strength increase to a certain degree after merging the first half of the Flood Dragon Fist but it was still short of doubling.

Chu Feng pointed at Ji Honglin’s forehead and hypnotized him but found no evidence that the Pre-Qin Research Institute had moved against him. He felt as if he had thrown a punch at empty air.

Anyways, the good part was that he had obtained the second half of the Demon Flood Dragon Fist!

"Chu Feng, we’re at Greatwoods Temple."

An unexpected call astonished Chu Feng. His parents were actually at the Greatwoods Temple on Mount Song.