Chapter 1035: Tianhu

The old man's face darkened with a menacing look; he truly wanted to strangle the boy. Earlier, he had thought this child was extraordinary, a little devil, and had even developed an appreciation for his talent, which was why he had emerged from the forest. But now, no matter how he looked at the boy, he found him utterly displeasing.

"To be such a bad seed at such a young age, imagine what you'll become when you grow up! I intend to help your sect clean house, lest you bring calamity upon the primordial land in the future," the elder said grimly, his eyes flashing with malevolence.

Chu Feng faced him calmly, his eyes clear and showing no trace of fear.

"Never mind. I am an old man; what good would it do to argue with a child? Take me to your elders; I have something to discuss with them." The elder's face softened, radiating the demeanor of a benevolent senior, and he became amiable once more.

Chu Feng glanced sideways, thinking, *This old man is acting haughty at first and then subservient later. He must have a request, right? Just a moment ago, he was scowling and wanted to teach me a lesson.*

"Please speak your mind, old man; I can make the decision," Chu Feng said.

The elder felt an exasperated ache in his teeth. *This brat is just a tiny speck, yet he's addicted to calling himself 'old man' every other sentence!* He truly wanted to drag him over and beat him until he cried for his parents. However, this also dispelled his doubts, further confirming that Chu Feng was indeed just a child, not some reincarnated monster. Otherwise, who would so brazenly act childish?

"Boy, if you dare to say 'old man' again, I'll beat your buttocks black and blue! Let's talk over here," the elder said, leading Chu Feng deeper into the dense forest, out of everyone's sight.

He had a request for Chu Feng's sect: he wanted to obtain a specific elixir.

Chu Feng immediately shook his head; he couldn't make that decision. The immortal maiden in the temple already had a strong prejudice against him because he had once wet her bed. Even Dongqing wouldn't be easy to convince; if she knew he was making reckless promises, she'd likely bare her fangs and give him a beating.

"I wouldn't ask for it for nothing. Do you see this giant sinkhole? It contains an astonishing fortune, and I wish to share it with you and your sect," the elder said with a solemn expression.

Chu Feng's heart stirred. This old man was also discerning; he actually knew the sinkhole was extraordinary.

"My sect is very close to this place. Do we still need you to tell us about this land of fortune? We were already keeping an eye on it," Chu Feng said calmly. No matter how much this old man knew, he had to make it clear that this place was already his sect's prize.

"This place's heavenly secrets have been obscured. It was by pure chance that I discovered an engraved stone map in the ruins of the Desolate Human Race, which allowed me to glimpse these secrets. Without special methods, no one can obtain the fortune here."

When Chu Feng heard this, his heart pounded. If it involved the Desolate Human Race, then it was truly terrifying. Could this place be even more astonishing than he had imagined? He felt a wave of suspicion, but unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to go down and investigate thoroughly.

The elder continued, "Only by using the method recorded on that stone carving can one uncover the truth of this place and fully acquire its blessings."

Chu Feng remained composed and said, "My sect knows all the secrets of this place. It is already occupied; you should leave."

"How can that be? Do you know there's a vine underground that hasn't withered or broken, but has been artificially concealed?" The elder revealed a sliver of truth.

This sent a chill down Chu Feng's spine. The so-called land of fortune, forming a special gourd-shaped terrain, was merely nourished by earth veins and irrigated by spiritual essence. Once this place withered, it would be impossible for any vine to remain. If the "earth vine" was still there, that would be truly extraordinary, far more astonishing than his previous assessment. It likely meant this was a "Heavenly Gourd," capable of nurturing a Heavenly Venerate in the end.

If this speculation was true, the nourishing place he had been searching for had been found, and it was far more astonishing than he had ever imagined. Chu Feng was secretly shaken. *As expected of the records of the Desolate Human Race; a single terrain formation could potentially cultivate a Heavenly Venerate!* Even if the actual effect wasn't that strong and was significantly reduced, using this place to nourish himself would be more than enough.

But could this old man's words be trusted?

Chu Feng maintained a composed expression and said, "This place is a Heavenly Gourd terrain. There was once a vine that bore three flowers. As the saying goes, 'The Tao produces one, and three produces all things.' It was too defiant of the natural order, and thus not tolerated by the world. One flower formed the Purple-Gold Gourd, which escaped into the thirty-three layers of outer heaven. The second flower grew into the Netherworld Gourd, sinking into the Nine Hells. The third flower has now formed a young gourd, not yet mature." He spoke with great solemnity. At first, he was simply bluffing, but as he continued, Chu Feng himself was surprised because, according to the silver paper on domains left by the Saint Master, it was indeed possible for such an extreme terrain to form.

The elder was bewildered. *Did this child's sect really understand? They knew more than he did.* He was truly intimidated. A moment later, he raised a question: "But this is merely a terrain formation; the so-called gourd vine is just the spiritual essence of earth veins, not a physical entity. You say it formed gourds that can fly into the sky and burrow into the earth?"

"Indeed. According to my sect's research, the Heavenly Gourd terrain can manifest into a physical form, becoming a Gourd of Rules."

"Is that a Heavenly Artifact?" The elder grew even more alarmed. He was certain this must be the result of the other party's sect's research; a mere child couldn't possibly know so much.

Chu Feng said very seriously, "A Heavenly Gourd formed from laws and condensed from order is naturally extraordinary. To call it a Heavenly Artifact would still not do it justice."

"It seems this place has indeed been thoroughly researched by your sect, young friend," the elder said. Unconsciously, he had started using the respectful term "young friend" and no longer entertained the thought of beating this brat. This was because what Chu Feng said aligned with a small portion of the records on the stone carving.

"Not entirely. My sect also has some reservations about this place. Since you, Venerable Elder, have glimpsed heavenly secrets in the ruins of the Desolate Human Race, why not discuss it with us?" Chu Feng said modestly.

This old man was too shrewd; he understood immediately that cooperation was still possible!

"How about we first go see your elders, and then we can explore it together?" the elder suggested.

Chu Feng smiled and said, "First, let me see your methods, esteemed elder. That way, I'll have something to report to my elders." He urged the elder to take him to the bottom of the sinkhole and demonstrate his abilities.

The elder nodded, his eyes gleaming brightly. "Very well. Since this place's heavenly secrets are obscured, I'll attempt to unveil a corner of the truth."

He led Chu Feng down, whistling through the air, towards the bottom of the sinkhole. It was truly deep, and the depths were as black as an abyss. "We're here!" Standing at the bottom, the elder fumbled around, then muttered incantations, chanting an ancient spell, and carving various mysterious symbols into the ground. These were parts of the records found in the ruins of the Desolate Human Race.

Soon after, changes began at the bottom of the sinkhole. Large areas of black mist rose up, and a chilling wind whistled. In an instant, Chu Feng and the elder both felt their hairs stand on end; this place felt somewhat eerie. Chu Feng felt goosebumps all over his body; it was too chilling. Especially in the next moment, he felt an icy cold hand on the back of his neck.

"Old man, why are you touching my neck? Are you trying to scare me?!" Chu Feng demanded, displeased.

"I'm over here, when did I ever touch you? Huh, boy, are you playing tricks? How dare you make fun of this old man?!" The elder's muscles tensed; he felt something was wrong. Because an icy cold hand had just touched *his* buttocks!

"Whoosh!" The old man, like a startled rabbit, was faster than anything. He instantly sprang up and shot into the sky, practically abandoning Chu Feng there as he vanished from sight.

"That old bastard!" Chu Feng cursed. Seeing that something was wrong, the old man had run off by himself, leaving him behind. "Venerable Elder, do you still want your elixir? Do you still want to discuss cooperation? Quickly, take me away!" Chu Feng shouted, feeling the surroundings grow colder and colder, with a bone-piercing chill.

"Don't worry, young friend, I'm coming!" the elder called out. However, he hesitated for a long time, constantly observing and investigating from above until he was certain there was no danger. Only then did he descend again, grab Chu Feng, and fly away. Chu Feng looked at him sideways. *If there had been any real danger just now, this old scoundrel definitely wouldn't have come down. He's completely unreliable.*

"Let's go to your sect," the elder said.

"Alright!" Chu Feng nodded.

By this time, dusk had fallen, and the evening glow had disappeared. With a wave of his hand, the elder called over the girl and, taking both children, they flew quickly, following Chu Feng's directions towards the Ji Clan tribe.

"This is your sect's mountain gate?" The elder was very surprised, as the small mountain was too inconspicuous, and there was only a dilapidated temple.

Dongqing stepped out, staring at the elder.

"Greetings, brave sir," the elder said with a smile.

Chu Feng said, "Dongqing, you can't tolerate this! You should at least break a few of his bones, shouldn't you?"

The elder was dumbfounded. *This burly strong man... is a woman?*

Dongqing bared her fangs and asked Chu Feng, "Why did you bring an outsider back?"

"There's a situation," Chu Feng said, waving his hand, signaling the old man to wait down the mountain. Dongqing led Chu Feng into the temple. Immediately, a swath of light rose within the hall, enveloping the area and isolating it from the outside world.

"Dongqing, we found a land of fortune that can cultivate a Heavenly Venerate..." Chu Feng quickly explained the situation.

"You're saying that old man wants the Little Heavenly Elixir in exchange?" Dongqing asked. This was indeed the elixir the elder was hoping for.

"Yes," Chu Feng nodded.

"Do you know how precious the Little Heavenly Elixir is, and what it truly is?" Dongqing asked.

"I don't know."

"It's simply those minerals we use to steam you, fused together. A hundred doses can brew one Little Heavenly Elixir."

"This... this must be an extremely rare and potent medicine, right?!" Chu Feng exclaimed in surprise.

"Extremely precious. Those minerals are very hard to find; they're almost completely dug out," Dongqing nodded.

Chu Feng waved his small hand magnanimously. "Then let's give him one percent of a Little Heavenly Elixir—that's the amount needed to steam me once."

"You're quite generous. Even that amount is worth a fortune," Dongqing said, rolling her eyes. She wasn't at all charming, but rather fierce.

"No, what I mean is, aren't the mineral residues from steaming me today still here? We can give those to the old man later; no waste at all."

Dongqing was speechless. After a long moment, she said, "How can you be so mean? Besides, there's not much medicinal residue left in there."

Chu Feng mumbled, "Who told him to threaten me, try to beat me, and then abandon me in the sinkhole when I was in danger?" Finally, he added with a serious expression, "Dongqing, that sinkhole is extraordinary. It might really be able to cultivate a Heavenly Venerate. We have to go take a look." His current strength wasn't enough; he still needed to rely on Dongqing and the immortal maiden in the temple. Otherwise, he would have explored it himself. After having his neck touched just now, he felt that place was too eerie, possessing an extraordinary and terrifying aspect.

Dongqing nodded and said, "Alright then, I'll go with you for a trip to see what that so-called sinkhole truly is."

Not long after, Chu Feng and Dongqing walked out of the temple together and called the elder up.

"Here, this is the Little Heavenly Elixir. To show our sincerity, here's one for you," Chu Feng said, holding a plate with a pill as large as a human head on it.

The elder's eyes went wide. *This is the Little Heavenly Elixir? Even if it has "Heaven" in its name, it shouldn't be this enormous, should it?* A pill the size of a human head was simply unheard of, and it was even dark and murky, with a truly unappealing look.

"You don't want it? Then forget it!" Chu Feng said, picking up the plate and turning to walk back into the temple.

"I want it!" the elder hurriedly cried out. The Little Heavenly Elixir was immensely useful to him; it could repair the soul and nourish one's innate essence. "But, this pill is simply too massive," the elder muttered, estimating that this single pill weighed at least three catties (1.5 kg), and that was his most conservative estimate.

Chu Feng said, "Be content. From the Desolate Era until now, countless years have passed. Even some ultimate figures have perished, and many inheritances have been cut off for innumerable eras. The formula for the Little Heavenly Elixir has also been lost several times. To be able to restore it to this extent is already a stroke of heavenly luck."

Dongqing nodded; this was indeed the truth. Some ingredients were now extinct, so they had to find substitutes, and the amount of minerals used had greatly increased. Thus, each brewing now required a vast quantity, incomparable to ancient times.

"Very well, thank you. This cooperation will surely be pleasant," the elder said, nodding. He solemnly took the human-head-sized pill and was about to put it into his spatial jade jar.

Chu Feng stared at him seriously and said, "Don't blame me for not warning you: after the elixir formula was slightly altered, this Little Heavenly Elixir cannot be stored for long. Once refined, it must be consumed as quickly as possible, or its medicinal efficacy will severely diminish."

The elder hesitated, holding the plate. His nose twitched as he sniffed it carefully, again and again. Although the massive pill was dark and murky, it emanated a special chestnut blossom fragrance, exactly as described in legends. He felt it should be genuine, but he was still too conflicted. He said, "Such a huge pill, it's a larger quantity than what a regular grown man eats in a single meal. It's a bit hard to swallow."

"That's up to you. If you don't eat it, give it back to me," Chu Feng said.

In fact, he was just waiting for the elder to eat it. Once he did, he would tell him that such a large pill... required consuming at least a hundred or more to be complete, to equal one true Little Heavenly Elixir!

"Alright, I'll eat it!" the elder said, gritting his teeth, deciding to... eat it like a meal.