Chapter 1024: Great Power Decline

This is not a good place. It's full of peril and harbors immense disaster.

Stone Fox had warned him about this, emphasizing precautions in the Yang Realm. One should never recklessly venture into its famous mountains and great rivers. If one must enter, they should remain discreet and avoid causing any disturbance. Many strange phenomena occur in these renowned mountains. Places where ultimate experts have meditated or slumbered invariably leave behind ultimate energy fields. Furthermore, some famous mountains possess terrifying natural formations that embody the profound mysteries of the cosmos. Once activated, these formations are powerful enough to entomb all gods and demons. Even Heavenly Venerates, despite their disbelief, have perished within these unique terrains!

Yet, this isn't a famous mountain; it's merely a desolate wilderness. Could it also possess such unique natural formations or activated ultimate energy fields? This particular mountain range is considered barren and wild, far from the renowned mountains and rivers that have resonated throughout history. A shiver ran down Chu Feng's spine, as he sensed impending disaster. Through subtle observation, he recognized the similarity to the terrifying and strange areas Stone Fox Heavenly Venerate had described. As a field researcher himself, Chu Feng grew increasingly convinced that something was amiss here. It seemed they had hit the jackpot. This obscure place, though unknown, was equally terrifying. Otherwise, after the ground ruptured, the corpses of Celestial Dragons and Undying Birds, along with a sky egg, would not have emerged.

"A terrifying terrain is one thing," Chu Feng prayed inwardly, "but please, let there be no living creatures lurking here!"

Within the mountains, white mist billowed, giving rise to myriad strange phenomena that made the scene appear increasingly sinister and dreadful. Yet, amidst the horror, faint wisps of an immortal aura persisted. Roars of beasts echoed, and the cries of birds resonated across the sky, growing increasingly chilling. Terrifying fragments of the Great Dao materialized in the void, seemingly intent on suppressing all creatures of the eight directions.

"Some are energy manifestations, while others are tangible objects, like that dragon corpse!" Ji Caixuan stated, her beautiful face etched with profound seriousness.

Just then, the Undying Bird plummeted. Its descent caused both Ji Caixuan and Li Jiuxiao to pale, as the colossal, fierce creature spread its decaying wings, obscuring even the downpour. Adorned with intimidating runes and emanating an ominous black glow, it appeared as though it had ripped through space from the depths of hell, its presence utterly terrifying.

At this critical juncture, Li Jiuxiao produced a bone tablet—a powerful expert's token. He hurled it skyward, where it instantly burst forth with iridescent light and chaotic energy. This was an extraordinary emblem, a mysterious treasure, and it remarkably managed to repel the decaying Undying Bird. However, the sudden appearance of a dragon's silhouette shattered the tranquility. The colossal body of the Celestial Dragon, interwoven with bolts of lightning, abruptly plunged downward, as if intent on world destruction.

Ji Caixuan's face paled. She immediately unrolled a scroll, which burst forth with ten thousand auspicious rays of light, pushing back the Celestial Dragon corpse. The scroll bore numerous inscriptions and a large seal, personally left behind by a terrifying entity. Chu Feng muttered to himself, noting that both the white-haired youth and the Ji family's fairy had contingency plans, carrying powerful artifacts bestowed by their clans. Their true strength at this moment was difficult to gauge.

At that moment, countless colorful halos began to drift in the void. Each halo depicted a myriad of earthly scenes, all representing ancient events. Li Jiuxiao and Ji Caixuan's expressions grew grim. To their astonishment, they realized this area might be even more unsettling than they had imagined, harboring deeper mysteries. Each vibrant halo contained terrifying events from ancient times, such as dragon slaying—specifically, the slaughter of the very Celestial Dragon now in the sky. One halo showed a valiant and spirited young man single-handedly slaying a Celestial Dragon, a truly shocking sight. In another halo, the youth discovered an Undying Bird and engaged it in a fierce, unending battle, overturning seas of lava and tearing open the firmament. Furthermore, the terrifying heavenly tribulation the youth endured to achieve the Heavenly Venerate position also flickered within the halos, a truly horrifying spectacle. There were even mundane details, like his unremarkable youth, followed by his eventual rise to prominence, overseeing a vast primordial land and becoming revered as an ancestor. Regardless of the event depicted in these halos, the same individual was always present, recounting his ancient experiences, though all were vague and intermittent.

Li Jiuxiao felt a pang of bitterness. Clearly, there was still a living entity within this terrain; the slumbering one had not perished and still existed in this world. The presence of living, terrifying creatures within this special terrain was the most troublesome aspect. If provoked and awakened, there was no telling what might transpire. Chu Feng also felt a headache coming on. Stone Fox Heavenly Venerate had mentioned that some terrifying living beings slumber for eons, never emerging, having occupied territories since prehistoric times. For this reason, certain renowned mountains and great rivers inspire dread, and some individuals dare not disturb their ground lightly.

Had they won the ultimate jackpot? This utterly obscure place could somehow stir up terrifying historical creatures. Even Ji Caixuan was speechless, her face drained of color, sensing imminent misfortune. As some halos fractured, unleashing violent energies, they recoiled in horror, quickly retreating and defending themselves with their scrolls and bone tablets.

"This is bad!" Chu Feng realized. Not only were there living beings in this area, but they had also encountered an extreme situation: the slumbering entity here was on the verge of death. This creature had lost control of itself and could collapse at any moment. Normally, even if awakened, powerful beings in slumber wouldn't necessarily massacre everyone; they might show mercy and maintain their composure. However, the ancient entity here was in the final stages of its life's decline. More accurately, its consciousness was now fragmented, emanating a spiritual field that enveloped the mountains and rivers. The Celestial Dragon and Undying Bird corpses they now witnessed were manifestations of the ancient entity's own past experiences, now appearing and targeting everyone. This was no longer controllable; survival depended on sheer luck. The weak spiritual domain now emanating from this powerful being, on the brink of death, was evolving spontaneously, making it impossible to predict what would happen. To be precise, they had stumbled into the final dream of this creature, whose life was nearing its end, and were now trapped within this unique domain.

Chu Feng's heart went cold. This was precisely the worst-case scenario Stone Fox Heavenly Venerate had described.

At that moment, earth and rocks scattered, and the mountains tore open. Lava surged tens of thousands of feet high, connecting with the lightning in the sky, creating a blinding brilliance that illuminated the entire landscape. The torrential downpour was largely evaporated, but the night sky swiftly darkened once more. Lightning intensified, and raindrops began to pour down again. A colossal fish, vast and boundless, had appeared at some unknown time, floating in the air. It brought an even more ferocious downpour, threatening to transform the entire area into an ocean.

"A Kun!" Li Jiuxiao cried out. It was an ancient monstrous beast. This creature could also transform into a Peng, and in its complete form, the Kunpeng, it could soar through the thirty-three heavens, sweeping aside all foes and proving truly immeasurable and terrifying. Now, as it roamed this place, a mere flick of its tail unleashed torrents of mountain floods and torrential rain. Moreover, it was breaching one spatial node after another, connecting to unknown realms.

"This might be our only chance to survive," Ji Caixuan said. "We need to escape through these spatial nodes and go our separate ways!"

In fact, the Kun had already made the choice for them. It opened its mouth and exhaled water bubbles that transformed into spatial bubbles, encapsulating each of them individually, scattering them to drift through the void. Even Chu Feng was separated from the others! His scalp tingled. This was his very first lesson in the Yang Realm: even a barren wasteland could be this perilous, capable of disturbing an ancient, decaying, and dying powerful being. It was truly astonishing, and he might very well die. At the same time, he sighed, realizing that this was merely the dream of the entity beneath the mountains during its weakest state. For a mere remnant of its domain to be able to manifest a Kun, control Celestial Dragons and Undying Birds, and so on, was truly awe-inspiring.

The others fled for their lives, each looking out only for themselves. Chu Feng, however, was fortunate; within his bubble, he felt no crushing pressure from powerful energies, and the space was remarkably calm. The other three clearly noticed the simple-minded child behaving unusually, struggling within his bubble and purposefully maneuvering it. The bubble's transparent space was peculiar; a slight push would make it roll. He guided it toward the location where he had buried his stone jar, realizing that perhaps only that ultimate treasure could help him now.

Li Jiuxiao's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the "Thunder Shaker" flail his tiny arms and legs, just... running away?! He actually ran!

"Goodbye!" Chu Feng yelled, waving his small hand. "I'll find you in eighteen years and be your love rival! No, thirteen years will be enough!"

"You bastard!" Li Jiuxiao roared in fury. But he had no chance to retaliate. He was already drifting towards a spatial node, on the verge of entering, with no possibility of turning back.

"Hey, see you again in thirteen years!" Chu Feng then waved at the beautiful maid and Ji Caixuan on the other side. Both of them were also about to enter spatial nodes within their respective bubbles. Ji Caixuan stared at him, her eyebrows raised, her gaze sharp and piercing. The beautiful maid, however, was dumbfounded, staring at him in a daze. "What's happening? Is this infant... a monster?!"

As the three vanished, Chu Feng neared the spot where his stone jar was buried. With a soft pop, his bubble made contact with the jar and, unable to impede it, effortlessly merged into the container. Chu Feng immediately ducked inside the jar. "Go!"

Inside the sealed stone jar, he unleashed Divine King energy, propelling the vessel with lightning speed. He fled far, traversing hundreds of thousands of miles. Even the powerful being's dream realm could not impede him; he tore right through its weakened domain. After escaping danger, Chu Feng once more propelled the stone jar, fleeing another tens of thousands of miles before finally coming to a stop.

"Sigh," he mused, "I gained a love rival but lost a sister-like companion. Did I lose out, or did I gain something?"

Early that morning, a child sat on a cliff, basking in the sun, propping his chin, his expression thoughtful and adorably naive.