Chapter 1050: None of Them Are Good Guys

The cocoon was smooth and crystalline, like a snow-white eggshell, showing no signs of abnormality. Especially within a dragon's nest, if discovered, it would undoubtedly be mistaken for a dragon egg.

Chu Feng had been in a daze for a full day and night. When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself in a sealed space. He was startled. Had someone imprisoned him?

Yet, as he stretched his limbs, he felt a powerful energy surge within him. Although the space was cramped and he felt crowded, his physical constitution had significantly improved.

Originally, he had started from scratch, with everything at zero, having only cultivated for a few months. Even as a Reincarnator, his progress shouldn't have been so astonishingly rapid. But now, he felt he had already surpassed the Awakening and Shackle stages. If a battle were to commence, defeating Shackle-level evolvers would be effortless.

However, this physical enhancement was not a true breakthrough into a higher realm of evolution. Chu Feng carefully observed: this power stemmed entirely from a massive surge in his cellular activity, which unlocked a portion of his body's hidden potential.

He hadn't undergone the typical "Awakening" or "Breaking of Shackles" process. Instead, his physical potential had simply been unleashed, with all his cells simultaneously exuding a mysterious essence, leading to a significant increase in his strength. He hadn't awakened or broken the unique shackles of humanity, yet he possessed this power. This left Chu Feng lost in thought.

It was no wonder that some immortal Daoist sects and ancient families, with lineages stretching back hundreds of millions of years, strictly forbade their disciples from using catalysts for evolution before the age of sixteen.

"That makes sense," Chu Feng murmured, validating the newfound advantages he was experiencing. The concepts of self-awakening, breaking shackles, painting the human body with ink, contemplating the heavens, and self-remodeling — these corresponding stages could be disregarded for now. For now, he only needed to focus on self-improvement, without deliberately contemplating those higher realms.

Was this the effect of consuming the True Dragon Fluid? Chu Feng's heart pounded with excitement. His physical enhancement was incredibly swift; the increased activity in all his cells had dramatically boosted his strength. He sighed softly, realizing the immense effects when ancient families, existing for eons, nurtured their chosen children in immortal caves or sealed them within springs of creation. The dozen or so young prodigies outside were likely cultivated in a similar manner. The Yang Realm was vast, with countless places of immense fortune!

However, Chu Feng also frowned slightly. "I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing." In the realm of evolution, there was an alternative, more conservative approach: allow individuals to develop naturally before the age of sixteen, without deliberate cultivation, to prevent "premature development" that could exhaust their potential. This meant cultivation would only begin after they turned sixteen!

"What I've consumed isn't a stimulant," he mused. "This dragon milk is brewed from rare celestial treasures, the very essence that nourishes young dragons. It shouldn't have any side effects." Chu Feng speculated that this wasn't an item that caused "premature development." He also considered that even ancient, dormant powerhouses had emerged to conquer the dragon's nest and brew True Dragon Fluid. This suggested that the substance had no side effects and its effects were even more astonishing than imagined. He even speculated that the downfall of the Great Dream Pure Land in the Yang Realm wasn't necessarily due to their coveting another top-ten clan's breathing technique. It was highly probable that their mastery of True Dragon Fluid brewing—a method so defying of natural order—had incited envy, leading to their destruction.

Chu Feng quickly snapped out of his reverie, activating his Fiery Golden Eyes to survey the situation outside the sealed space. In that instant, he realized he had formed a cocoon, transforming into an egg that now encased him.

"This is True Dragon Fluid," he thought, "if I consume it steadily, day by day, the effects would be far greater than what I'm experiencing now." Chu Feng decided he couldn't waste any more of it; the remaining fluid needed to be used strategically. He felt confident that he could now protect himself within the dragon's nest.

He began to roll. He rolled beneath the surface, not rushing to break free from the eggshell. Along the way, he exerted all his strength, cracking open a piece of the eggshell with a thud. He stretched out a hand to dig a path, simultaneously using domain techniques to erase his tracks.

Chu Feng returned to the surface. A day and a night had passed, and he was unsure of the situation outside. Crack! Finally, he restored the piece of eggshell, sealing the opening. He used field techniques, similar to those for shaping mountains and terrain, to repair it. The eggshell became smooth as jade, without any cracks.

The dragon's nest was vast, spanning an enormous area. Chu Feng opened his Fiery Golden Eyes, able to observe the external scenery from inside the eggshell. His heart tightened. The ground was splattered with blood and scattered with dragon scales. Undeniably, an extremely fierce battle had taken place here, likely with casualties on both sides. "I wonder if anyone died," Chu Feng mused.

Before entering the dragon's nest, all participants had their powerful weapons confiscated, without exception. The elders clearly had no fear of them dying, not even leaving them a single life-saving charm. The jade token that Dong Qing had given Chu Feng was, naturally, no longer on him either.

The dragon cave was silent. Chu Feng listened intently, and after a long time, a scream finally echoed from the depths of the dragon's nest, followed by sounds of fierce combat. Soon after, silence fell once more.

"They're all in hiding, hunting in the shadows," Chu Feng realized, becoming even more cautious. It would be a terrible injustice to be ambushed and killed within the dragon's nest.

"Next, I'll seek out more opportunities for fortune," Chu Feng's eyes gleamed, "and then I'll use this dragon's nest for my nirvana." To him, this was an immortal grotto, capable of further accelerating his strength.

Surging profound magnetic energy propelled the egg swiftly forward, deep into the dragon's nest. Chu Feng keenly observed his surroundings, searching for a place of nirvana within the Celestial Dragon's Lair. Upon reaching the deeper, darker areas, screams suddenly erupted again, and something came flying towards him. Chu Feng immediately stopped, taking cover among lightning-struck wood and piles of rubble. This section of the mountain cavern was vast, with extremely complex terrain.

A human head fell to the ground. Its face was still very young, frozen in a gruesome, contorted expression. A young prodigy had died here. Chu Feng's heart turned cold. The Heavenly Venerates outside weren't intervening? This truly was a free-for-all; death meant death. The method of cultivating the "strongest successor" was incredibly brutal. He recalled Dong Qing's words: when various clans cultivated the strongest individual of an era, they always had several "seed" candidates within their own ranks, and the competition was extraordinarily fierce. If one died now, several others within the clan were waiting to take their place. This... truly showed no regard for human life. Even these young prodigies, nurtured with immense resources, were not rescued.

A silver dragon, over two meters long, materialized from the darkness. It flapped its wings, cast a brief glance downwards, then vanished like a white streak of lightning. Chu Feng grew even more cautious, remaining hidden among the rubble for a long time before moving. Unless absolutely necessary, he had no desire to engage in battle with this group of young madmen. It was best to quietly accumulate wealth. He aimed to first secure several significant fortunes from this place.

In the distance, sounds of fierce combat, surging dragon roars, and undulating bellows echoed, surprising Chu Feng. He stealthily approached the area. Moments later, two black dragons and three white dragons fled, disappearing like five streaks of lightning into the furthest reaches of the dragon's nest. On the spot, Gouwa, Little Crow, Yingying, and three other young prodigies were panting heavily, resting. A black dragon lay dead nearby. A fierce melee had just taken place there!

Soon after, flames flickered as they ignited lightning-struck wood. They then skinned the black dragon and roasted it, releasing an enticing aroma. Chu Feng stared, wide-eyed. This was dragon meat, something he had never tasted. Yet these younglings were already feasting, enjoying a grand dragon meat meal. At the same time, he sighed, realizing none of them were pushovers. Even the girl Yingying had blood stained on her skirt, having participated in the dragon slaughter.

"Delicious! This taste is absolutely incredible, I've never eaten anything so good!" exclaimed the chubby boy, Little Crow, as he ate.

"Strange, where did Ji Quede go? Why can't we find him?" muttered the prodigy from the Taiwu Heavenly Venerate lineage. He harbored a deep grudge, having been called "Gouwa," which fueled a strong murderous intent within him. He constantly sought to find and kill his tormentor. As a core successor of the Taiwu lineage, he didn't concern himself with the repercussions; such was his formidable power.

The young girl Yingying spoke up, "Let's spare him for now. We have enough to worry about. These dragons are cunning and fierce; three people have already been torn apart. This is their territory, and if we get distracted or make even a small mistake, we'll suffer a tragic death." She was, after all, still protecting him, not wanting Chu Feng to die. Her Ninth Grandfather still needed him for alchemy.

Little Crow also advised, "Forget it. Let's not complicate things. While that shameless scoundrel isn't particularly strong, his escape skills are top-notch. If he were to lead those dragons against us, things could get ugly." He also voiced his opposition.

"I truly want to kill him," the young prodigy from the Taiwu lineage said, his gaze chilling. "In my eyes, he's a despicable wretch, worse than a ghost. From the moment I saw him, I felt he was a menace, and that a life-or-death battle with him was inevitable."

Hidden in the shadows, Chu Feng heard every word clearly and instantly felt a surge of intense hatred. He recalled how the Taiwu lineage had wreaked havoc and carried out massacres in the Netherworld, declaring that all nether spirits deserved death. This animosity stemmed from the fact that Taiwu's Dao companion in his youth had died at the hands of nether spirits, leading him to harbor a deep resentment and a vow to kill any he encountered. Now, Gouwa equated Chu Feng with nether spirits, deeming him worthy of death. This naturally ignited the long-suppressed rage and killing intent within Chu Feng.

"Something's here!" In an instant, Gouwa stood up, his gaze sharp as a rainbow, turning towards Chu Feng's direction. He was older among the group, perhaps two or three years older, and his senses were the keenest.

With a whoosh, several young prodigies gathered around. "A dragon egg! This is... a true stroke of fortune! It's even more nourishing than dragon meat!" Little Crow shrieked, drooling profusely.

"Don't move!" Gouwa snapped, his eyes blazing with desire. He too coveted it deeply. It would be a waste to simply consume it. If he nurtured it with his essence, he could raise a Celestial Dragon that would be entirely obedient to him, potentially becoming as strong as him, or even stronger. Dragons were inherently headstrong; even when subdued, they required restrictions, otherwise no one dared to raise them. Only from a dragon egg could a truly obedient dragon be hatched!

Gouwa rushed over and tapped the egg. "I can feel it," he said, "there's a life form inside. Although its strength isn't high, its vitality is immense."

"This is a rare opportunity," he continued. "We'll take it with us, and once we leave the dragon's nest, we'll hand it over to the elders for them to decide who it should go to."

"I believe it should ultimately be awarded to whoever contributes the most. Let's not quarrel over it now." The young prodigies all agreed to this compromise. Then, they all stepped forward, lifting the egg, preparing to set off.