Chapter 124: Sealing the Land

This is Mount Tai, grand, majestic, and towering. In ancient times, it was believed to be the origin of all creation. After the world underwent its great change, Mount Tai transformed as well, becoming even more immense and magnificent beyond compare.

Chu Feng emerged from the airport to find someone waiting to take him to the city at the foot of Mount Tai, advising him to rest for the night. But how could he possibly wait? He yearned to ascend the mountain immediately. The situation was critical, and he was unsure what might happen in his absence.

Although Lu Tong had personally assured him that his parents were safe and that the mutated beings dared not trespass into the Jade Purity Palace, Chu Feng still felt a lingering unease. Aside from his parents, would others like Ye Qingrou, Du Huaijin, and Chen Luoyan also face attack? He had already instructed them to wait in the Jade Purity Palace, not to venture outside, and to await his return. Then he thought of all the other people connected to him – there were simply too many.

"You truly cannot ascend the mountain tonight," Xu Ming informed him. "There's a monumental battle taking place up there, with the Peacock King and his powerful allies poised to launch a major offensive!"

"What exactly is happening?" Chu Feng inquired.

Xu Ming, an awakened being from the Jade Purity Palace, would be assisting Chu Feng with various matters for the next few days. He began, "One could say, 'every inch of land, every drop of blood!'" The battle for Mount Tai was exceedingly brutal. Bodies lay scattered from the foot of the mountain all the way to the summit, the stone steps stained crimson with blood, and a pervasive aura of slaughter filled the air.

Recently, various advanced thermal weapons had been deployed to eliminate the mutated beings. However, they proved ineffective against the most powerful Beast Kings, capable only of destroying those of lower ranks. Even more potent weaponry existed, but it remained unused, out of concern that it might destroy the sacred Fengshan site and yield no benefit in the end. Many lives had been lost on the human side.

"Do we only have three peerless masters?" Chu Feng frowned, sensing the extreme danger of the location and wondering if they could truly secure it.

"No, some Beast Kings have aligned with us," Xu Ming clarified. Certain Beast Kings, at odds with the Peacock King's faction, had joined forces with humanity to resist them. Otherwise, the human casualty count here would have been far higher.

Chu Feng listened intently, absorbing details about the Fengshan site. Recently, the conflict had grown even more fierce, with Beast Kings already perishing and Mount Tai stained with their blood. This evening, a decisive battle was set to commence. The Master of the Jade Purity Palace would finally face off against the Peacock King. They had already engaged in numerous intense clashes prior to this, with no clear victor emerging. Other Kings would also join the fray, ensuring that their roars would shake the heavens, and it was highly probable that another King-level entity would fall.

"What exactly is so unusual about the mountain peak?" Chu Feng inquired. He couldn't understand the depth of the Peacock King's obsession with claiming this site from humanity, which Chu Feng believed rightfully belonged to humans as a sacred land.

"Legend has it that a mysterious inheritance lies within," Xu Ming explained in detail. "The Peacock King came here specifically for that." The Peacock King, who rose to power in the southwest, had reportedly seen ancient inscriptions on a stone wall there. These inscriptions indicated that a sage of the Peacock lineage had once visited Mount Tai, likely leaving behind a legacy. This fueled the Peacock King's fervent desire to seize the mountain. "In fact, it already possesses a complete breathing technique," Xu Ming added, "but it desires more."

"Are there any other formidable figures involved?" Chu Feng inquired. After all, with the three peerless masters from the Eight Sceneries Palace, Jade Purity Palace, and Biyou Palace all participating in the campaign for the Fengshan site, the opposition surely comprised more than just the Peacock King. He surmised there must be other exceptionally powerful Beast Kings.

Xu Ming nodded. "There's also a crow, a very unique one. Most of its black feathers have shed, replaced by patches of gold. Some speculate it might be evolving into a Golden Crow!" In fact, this crow is now respectfully referred to as the Golden Crow King. Reportedly, it too had discovered an inscription in a distant mountain range, documenting that an ancestor of the Golden Crows had once landed on Mount Tai's peak, prompting its arrival here.

"The Cloud Leopard King and the Nine-Lives Cat King are also present, possessing terrifying strength!" Xu Ming enumerated the formidable Beast Kings currently at Mount Tai. He further revealed that the Nine-Lives Cat King and others had similarly journeyed here upon learning that their ancestors had once visited Mount Tai, intending to ascend it.

Chu Feng listened, absorbing a great deal of information. It appeared that revered figures from various races, even saints, had once frequented this place. This truly was unnerving. What exactly was Mount Tai concealing? From ancient times, some of humanity's Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had personally visited this site to perform sacrifices to heaven, a practice subsequently continued by successive dynasties. Upon their awakening, the mutated beings also discovered that peerless masters among their ancestors had visited this place and sought to uncover its secrets.

"Given the incessant battles, they must have reached the summit long ago, right?" Chu Feng questioned. "Did they discover nothing?"

"They have, of course, ascended. The peak itself is stained with blood," Xu Ming confirmed. "However, the summit is incredibly strange. To date, no one has achieved any significant gains there." The summit glows with a crystalline sheen, yet it is also shrouded in a dense mist, rendering it impenetrable to the eye. Both humanity's peerless masters and the mutated beings' invincible Beast Kings had fought their way to the top. Upon entering, they discovered the space within was incredibly vast!

"It's far more than just a mountain peak; the space is immense, containing crumbling underground palaces, grand halls, and more!" Xu Ming elaborated, then added, "The Golden Crow King even claimed to have once sensed a pure-blooded Golden Crow egg there. It attempted to penetrate the mist to find it, but failed and could no longer perceive its presence."

"What a truly mysterious Fengshan site!" Chu Feng murmured to himself. Every race seemed to harbor an obsession with conquering it and claiming it as their own.

"What sacred trees are truly here?" This was Chu Feng's most pressing question.

Xu Ming replied, "After the mountain peak expanded, more than one mysterious ancient tree appeared. Some are still withered, yet to regain vitality, while others have only just begun to sprout."

Chu Feng frowned. "Have I come at the wrong time?" he wondered.

"There are also ancient trees deep within, shrouded by the mist. Faintly, a wisp of fragrance can be detected, indicating they are clearly in bloom, but no one has managed to locate or approach them. That area is profoundly unusual."

Hearing this, Chu Feng immediately understood the extraordinary nature of the place. Even the Beast Kings couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the sacred tree that was blooming. His heart surged with excitement. Even if he couldn't find a blooming sacred tree, it didn't matter, for he carried a pristine white seed! Chu Feng hoped to use the sacred grounds of Mount Tai's peak to plant his own seed, believing it might likewise allow him to break through to the King-level realm! He had great confidence in that seed; after its previous growth, it seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis, utterly unlike its former self. This time, it might yield an even more astonishing plant!

That night, Chu Feng stood by his window, gazing out at the magnificent and majestic mountain. Since the world's great change, it had swelled by at least several times its original size, and according to Xu Ming, it was still growing. In other regions, many primeval mountains had emerged, but existing mountain ranges typically remained unchanged. Here, however, it was entirely different. Mount Tai, a focal point, towered into the clouds, continually growing grander. At this rate, it would soon reach beyond the heavens.

That night, a flash of lightning split the void, illuminating the mountain as a monumental battle erupted near Mount Tai. Chu Feng witnessed a five-colored peacock materialize in the sky, hovering proudly in the void, gazing down at the humans on Mount Tai's stone steps before launching a sudden assault. The great decisive battle had begun. From this night forward, it would confront the Master of the Jade Purity Palace to determine their fate.

In mid-air, it suddenly transformed into a young man, strikingly handsome and possessing an intimidating aura, even more beautiful than Kong Sheng—almost ethereal. He then swooped down from mid-air, engaging a human master in a decisive battle on the ground.

A mighty rumble... The heavens and earth seemed to tear apart, a blinding, brilliant light erupting from the clash. The Peacock King, who had acquired an ancient inheritance, was employing the "Ming Wang Fist Seal" against a human on the ground. He had, surprisingly, taken on a human form for the battle, rather than using his true body. Blazing light erupted from the clash; that style of fist technique was potent enough to tear mountains apart and pulverize all matter. However, Mount Tai was no longer as it once was; it now withstood enormous impacts without suffering any damage – a testament to its divine properties!

The monumental battle commenced, with the Master of the Jade Purity Palace confronting the Peacock King! Chu Feng yearned to witness the full scope of the battle, but unfortunately, he was currently forbidden from entering the area. This was a protective measure, as all non-King-level beings had been evacuated from Mount Tai. From his vantage point, even with his enhanced vision, he could barely discern anything clearly. The distance, coupled with the blazing light emanating from both combatants, obscured their true forms, making them appear like two warring divine monarchs!

Shortly after, their clash moved to the mountain's other side, and they vanished from sight. Next, Chu Feng observed a Golden Crow appear in the night sky, terrifying in its boundless might, diving down engulfed in flames to confront the Master of the Eight Sceneries Palace! Subsequently, other Beast Kings and powerful entities entered the fray, battling fiercely. For a time, the roars of the Beast Kings shook the heavens and the earth, making the entire magnificent and colossal Mount Tai tremble as if alive. Mount Tai was now the stage for the most intense and terrifying conflict, where the fall of any single combatant would have profound and far-reaching consequences.

It wasn't until the latter half of the night that the sounds of battle gradually subsided, and the roars of the beasts faded into silence.

"What's the situation?" Chu Feng asked. Xu Ming approached from outside, having been out to gather intelligence.

"The three peerless masters from the Eight Sceneries Palace, Jade Purity Palace, and Biyou Palace have all sustained injuries and are now recuperating."

"What?" Chu Feng exclaimed, startled.

"The Peacock King and Golden Crow King have also stained Mount Tai with their blood and are likewise injured. No clear victor has emerged, and the battles will resume tomorrow. You should patiently await your opportunity." Xu Ming explained that the more intensely these peerless masters fought and the more severe their injuries, the greater Chu Feng's chance would be. Based on past experience, opportunities to ascend the mountain and seek fortune arose when the peerless masters were recuperating. However, to date, no one had achieved any astonishing breakthroughs within the Fengshan site.

On the second day, the battles recommenced, with the powerful entities fighting relentlessly. Regrettably, none of the major combatants managed to secure a decisive victory. During this time, Chu Feng activated his communicator to check on the outside world. Many people were trying to reach him, but he found it impossible to reply to each one individually.

"You're asking for death!" Chu Feng read a text message, stunned to find it was from Huang Xiaoxian, who explicitly threatened to harm his parents if he didn't appear soon. Chu Feng's eyes sharpened with cold fury! Following that, he saw several news reports. Online rumors suggested that the Peacock lineage and Bodhi Gene were planning to collaborate, potentially culminating in an assault on Mount Putuo. Jiang Luoshen, who was from Bodhi Gene, had reportedly hosted Kong Sheng and his entourage over the past two days. Furthermore, Kong Sheng had also visited Jiangning City, had contact with Celestial Organisms, and specifically requested to meet Lin Nuoyi.

"Are you trying to humiliate me, to force me out?" Chu Feng muttered to himself. Many people now knew of his past with Lin Nuoyi, and recently, ambiguous rumors had circulated regarding Jiang Luoshen and him.

"Demons and phantoms, petty tricks! Wait until I break through at the Fengshan site; I'll return and eliminate every one of you!" Chu Feng abruptly shut off his communicator, no longer looking, and calmed himself, awaiting the ascent.

On the third day, Xu Ming arrived, informing Chu Feng to prepare for the ascent that night, as the Beast Kings' monumental battle was nearing its conclusion. True to his word, the evening battle erupted and concluded late into the night.

With determined steps, Chu Feng began his ascent!