Chapter 1057: Yang Realm Changes

Wintergreen frowned, her expression darkening as someone spoke in front of her, predicting Ji Dade's miserable fate and hinting that he was likely already dead. Even though the young lady she protected had stated that life and death were fated and survival was not guaranteed, Wintergreen still felt a pang of discomfort and did not wish to see Chu Feng perish. After all, he was a child she had personally looked after; even just two or three months had fostered some affection. She knew, of course, that this was against their principles; their lineage required choosing the strong, and the guardians of future inheritors must themselves possess immense fortitude. Her young lady and the matriarch had reiterated these points numerous times, and Wintergreen could only sigh, feeling powerless to alter the situation.

"Brother Dao, congratulations! Heavenly Venerate Taiwu now has a successor!" someone exclaimed, stepping forward to congratulate the powerful figures from the Taiwu lineage. Three elderly Divine Kings had personally arrived. Almost no Heavenly Venerates were present this time; having already cleared the obstacles and captured the old Dragon of Heavenly Venerate realm, they would not reappear.

The elderly Divine King of the Taiwu lineage smiled broadly and said, "Haha, the pleasure is mutual. Our clan's successor and your younger generations are good friends. They spoke of joining forces before entering the Dragon's Den, so they must have reaped considerable rewards."

"Caw!"

A crow, the Heavenly Venerate's mount, flew in, tasked with collecting the chubby young boy. It spoke in human language, saying, "I wonder how my little master fares. He once boasted of finding a few good brothers here to fight alongside in the future." Beside it, a few people curled their lips, noting that the little crow had clearly boasted about subduing a few followers, yet was now sugarcoating its earlier bravado.

"Let's go see what's happening," someone chuckled heartily.

The Dragon's Den was extraordinary, isolated from the outside world—a place where the very essence of creation gathered. Unless one entered and fully activated its various restrictions, it was difficult to discern what transpired within. The cavern was vast and paved with dark, lustrous lightning-struck wood, imbued with potent Yang energy. While such wood was a rare medicinal ingredient outside, here it covered the ground.

"Everyone, please come in."

"Please!"

A young Divine King from the Taiwu lineage initially showed some restraint, but after a brief hesitation, he confidently walked in, a smile spreading across his face.

"Hmm, what is this?!"

"How outrageous?!"

"What are you doing?!"

Upon entering the depths of the Dragon Cave, everyone present immediately sensed the situation, and their faces became a spectacle of disbelief.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

They instantly surged to their destination, arriving at the scene, each of them visibly agitated. The Divine Kings of the Taiwu lineage, in particular, were almost beside themselves, their fingers trembling slightly as they pointed ahead.

"Caw!" The Heavenly Venerate Crow's mount cried out, also staring ahead in astonishment. What happened to the Taiwu lineage's prodigy claiming dominance, as promised? Upon closer inspection, their prodigy was slumped lifelessly over a bluestone, his face ashen. Beyond his body injuries, his face was swollen and heavily bruised, a complete wreck. More shockingly, someone was sitting directly on him! Wasn't he supposed to be the one to assert dominance here? Instead, he had become a human cushion!

"Ji Dade!" The three Divine Kings of the Taiwu lineage glared, never having imagined their own successor would be in such a pitiful state, being used as a human cushion on a bluestone. Then, even the large crow became agitated, its massive beak agape as it stared ahead, because its little crow was actually massaging Ji Dade's back, acting like a complete lackey. The entire group found this outcome utterly unacceptable. It was the smallest child who reigned supreme, looking down on a group of young prodigies who were, at least outwardly, utterly submissive—all injured and suppressed in this very spot.

"How could it be you?" the old Divine King of Heavenly Venerate Taiwu's lineage roared, seeing his successor in such a wretched state while Ji Dade sat triumphantly atop him. His killing intent became palpable.

"What do you intend to do?!" Not only Wintergreen, but also the silver-haired matriarch stepped forward, blocking his path and glaring at him defiantly.

"This is an outrage! How could this happen?!" the young Divine King of the Taiwu lineage bellowed, his raised hand shimmering with five-colored divine light, clearly wanting to strike Chu Feng down.

Wintergreen stepped forward and retorted, "What a jest! Once inside, life and death are fated; you should be content that your lineage's successor is not dead, rather than indignant, enraged, and attempting murder out of sheer embarrassment!"

Chu Feng jumped off the bluestone and, seizing the moment, explained, "Everyone has misunderstood. I was worried he might commit suicide, so I personally subdued him. If you don't believe me, just ask them." He gestured towards the little crow, Yingying, and a few others, inviting them to ask freely. These individuals looked somewhat embarrassed but nonetheless had to nod in agreement.

"What happened?!" The Divine King of the Taiwu lineage angrily reprimanded.

"He crippled me!" Dogwa snarled, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, as if he wanted to eliminate Chu Feng on the spot.

"How heartless!" The old Divine King of the Taiwu lineage's face darkened, and he was on the verge of erupting.

Chu Feng retorted, "Why don't you ask him? He's been relentlessly hunting me since we entered the Dragon's Den. I merely defended myself. It's a kindness I even spared his life."

The Taiwu lineage members' faces turned ashen, utterly losing their composure. One of the three Divine Kings of the Taiwu lineage conjured blinding runic light, but it was instantly suppressed by the old matriarch beside Wintergreen, restoring tranquility to the area.

"Caw, little master, how are you?" The crow spoke, asking the little crow.

"I... I'm more or less fine," the little crow mumbled, looking awkward, before unhesitatingly breaking away from Chu Feng and hurrying to the side of the larger crow.

It was only then that the group truly registered the situation, their minds reeling. The child they had considered the smallest had actually emerged victorious, triumphing over all opponents to claim the top spot, while the favored successor of the Taiwu lineage was in such a wretched state.

Chu Feng then added, "A few geniuses died. You should go look for them quickly. It has nothing to do with me anyway; either the dragons killed them, or Heavenly Venerate Taiwu's successor did."

"What?!"

Despite their mental preparation, several people present still blanched, quickly rushing into the depths of the Dragon's Den, only to discover a few corpses. One middle-aged woman was utterly consumed by worry, her face pale with dread. However, upon finding her smiling twin daughters, she finally relaxed. She had always believed them stronger than anyone else and thus immune to harm, yet the scare had been considerable. When the Yi family members led the girl who resembled Lin Nuoyi out of the Dragon Horns' Lair, they, too, breathed a sigh of relief. Several others wore angry expressions and felt profound heartache, having lost their sect's top inheritors. Though their sects possessed other young prodigies and had only brought one each today, losing them here was deeply infuriating and regrettable.

"The dragons killed them all, it has nothing to do with us!" the little crow quickly clarified, eager to distance itself. While competition existed among the various factions, no one was pleased to see their core disciples tragically dead. If this resentment were to ignite, it would lead to a bloody, life-or-death conflict.

"Never mind, let's go!" Someone roared. His "let's go" wasn't an exit, but an invitation to delve deeper into the Dragon's Den to share the remaining fortunes and treasures. Such an immense Dragon's Den surely held many more opportunities.

"So everyone just dispersed and left?" Chu Feng asked.

"What more do you want?!" Wintergreen exclaimed, delivering a light rap to his forehead. This victory had truly been an unexpected delight for her; she had never imagined the boy could suppress all the prodigies and emerge triumphant.

"Don't knock his brains out!" the silver-haired matriarch interjected, her tone doting. Her gaze at Chu Feng was completely different from before; today's outcome had given her a tremendous surprise.

"Otherwise, what did you expect? Did you want us to start a full-blown war?!" Wintergreen tapped him again.

Chu Feng grumbled, "You made me worry for nothing. I even deliberately spared Dogwa's life, just so you wouldn't have trouble cleaning up the mess or getting into bloody, life-or-death conflicts."

Shortly after, once the Dragon's Den had been thoroughly explored and its resources divided by all factions, everyone converged, inevitably staring at Chu Feng with renewed scrutiny.

"If you keep staring, I'll get shy," Chu Feng said, batting his large, innocent eyes and feigning embarrassment.

"Go to hell!" a group of young prodigies muttered, curling their lips. With their elders present, they felt no fear, but earlier, having been severely wounded, they had truly been forced to humble themselves.

"Alas, in twenty years, he's definitely going to be a menace," someone sighed.

Chu Feng corrected him, "Who said twenty? I'll be making my debut in thirteen years, and I certainly won't be a menace. By then, I'll be plotting grand schemes with a group of brothers." As he spoke, he nodded and greeted each of the prodigies. The prodigies felt a deep distaste for him, truly wishing they didn't have to see him. They were still fuming from being suppressed in the Dragon's Den, but felt too humiliated to voice their grievances to their elders. Furthermore, they had already made oaths. If that scoundrel ever came calling in the future, would they really have to honor their promises? The thought was truly vexing. However, they also believed their clans likely possessed secret techniques to break such oath-curses, so the issue shouldn't be too severe.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we depart, I bring startling news: The one from Yongzhou in the Yang Realm has awakened. He's actually still alive and aims to unify the entire Yang Realm!" At this moment, an old man spoke, delivering news that stunned everyone present.

"What's going on?" Someone asked in surprise.

"It's in Yongzhou! What do you mean, 'what's going on'?! The one from back then, who slew Heavenly Venerates and cut down ancient, renowned figures, unifying one-twentieth of the Yang Realm's territory! After a great thunder tribulation, everyone thought he had perished at the last moment, but now he has revived!"

"What?! It's him! He's reappeared!"

The entire group was stunned, their faces utterly drained of color, and the atmosphere grew incredibly somber. They knew a major event was about to unfold. Everyone felt an overwhelming bloody aura surging from the direction of Yongzhou, as if pressing down instantaneously, ready to crush all things in the world, unstoppable. Was this merely a psychological effect? Many shivered, feeling a flicker of doubt, yet the more they sensed and projected towards that direction, the more they trembled, struck by a chilling dread.

The Yang Realm was on the cusp of great change. Many foresaw this as the brief, oppressive calm before a colossal storm, destined to erupt into a terrifying, major event. A chill ran down someone's spine, but they also offered a warning: "Everyone, this individual favors both brilliant talents and exceptional prodigies. It's uncertain whether this is a blessing or a curse, but those with powerful successors should certainly be wary."