Chapter 139: Magical

The back mountain was a paradise of blossoming peach and green willows, truly like a secluded fairyland. Various flowers and trees flourished, with clusters of buds ready to unfurl. Pearly white dew rolled on the flower petals and leaves. Wisps of white mist, unable to fully obscure the golden sunlight, drifted gracefully like dancing maidens, adding an ethereal quality, reminiscent of an immortal's abode.

Pavilions were scattered among cascading waterfalls and flowing springs, nestled beside small bridges and meandering streams.

Chu Feng stood there, admiring the picturesque scenery. The air was filled with a refreshing fragrance, invigorating his spirit. It was an excellent place for self-cultivation and relaxation.

After a brief pause, he walked through the lush back mountain to a more vibrant and pristine area.

Mount Pan was certainly no ordinary place; otherwise, it wouldn't have allowed the old weasel to break two shackles of the beast king domain and master sword manipulation techniques.

"Unusual trees!"

Chu Feng immediately spotted several extraordinary small trees rooted in the fenced garden ahead. This was the most crucial part of Mount Pan, where mysterious plants capable of evolving humans, birds, and fierce beasts grew.

One, two...

Chu Feng was quite surprised to find five mysterious small trees here. As for the unique herbs, there were no fewer than fifty, all vibrant and fresh, appearing as if carved from jade.

"Are these the spiritual essences nurtured by a renowned mountain?"

He sighed with emotion. Finding even one such plant elsewhere would be remarkable, but in famous mountain ranges, one could discover an entire patch, like an invaluable celestial herb garden!

For ordinary people, these could indeed be called immortal herbs, as the fruits produced here could allow one to evolve into a superhuman with extraordinary abilities in a very short time.

Most of these small trees were two or three feet tall, vibrant and diverse in color. One was particularly special, nearly two meters tall, entirely crimson like agate, with leaves as red as fiery jade, qualifying it as a "large tree."

Chu Feng guessed that the old weasel's ability to break two shackles was related to this particular tree, as others likely didn't possess such potent medicinal effects.

Unfortunately, all the unique trees were devoid of fruit; they had been completely picked clean.

Chu Feng felt no regret. With a beast king, two quasi-kings, and nearly a hundred strange beasts on Mount Pan, it would have been surprising if any exotic fruits remained; they had long since been consumed.

Among the dozens of unique herbs, two were still blooming, emitting an intoxicating fragrance. Chu Feng crouched down, activating a special breathing technique, attempting to absorb the pollen.

However, a moment later, he was disappointed; this level of exotic herb had no effect on him.

It was to be expected, as ordinary plants that promoted human evolution were no longer effective for him after he became a king-level being.

Only the nearly two-meter-tall crimson "large tree" here would be useful to him, but it was currently barren, so he would have to wait until next year.

This was the advantage of renowned mountains: all vegetation could regrow, flower, and bear fruit year after year, not just once.

Why did major syndicates desperately attack the world's famous mountains, shedding blood and piling up corpses just to occupy one? It was precisely for this reason: they wanted to establish a fundamental base for themselves.

As long as they controlled a famous mountain, they could ensure their own forces continuously evolved, eventually creating an unending lineage.

"Where is the underground palace?" Chu Feng searched, having already learned from Huang Xiaoxian that Mount Pan's inheritance site was on the back mountain.

However, despite searching everywhere, he found no clues; there was no sign of the so-called underground palace.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw swirling mist and clouds in the distant mountains, where a colossal object stood vaguely visible.

Chu Feng was fearless. He had even killed a beast king who had broken two shackles, so what else was there to worry about? He strode forward.

"A giant tree?!"

His heart tightened. The massive shadow in the mist was a terrifyingly huge tree, rooted at the base of the mountain yet towering into the sky.

It was eight hundred meters tall, with dense, incredibly lush branches and leaves that gleamed like emerald jade.

Most importantly, the ground where it was rooted had completely cracked open, revealing a clearly visible underground palace, ancient and emanating a sense of weathered history.

Chu Feng was overjoyed; he had finally found it.

However, this ancient tree was too immense. Rooted there, it gave him an uneasy, somewhat dangerous feeling.

Chu Feng was certain his senses were not mistaken; a will was hidden within the tree's body.

He had already learned at the Jade Void Palace that when the world began to change, the nation had used a large number of missiles to clear out extraterrestrial plants, as well as giant vines that covered the sky and encompassed the firmament.

"I am only here to enter the underground palace, nothing more," Chu Feng stated, regardless of whether the tree could understand.

Silence. The giant tree showed no unusual signs.

Chu Feng stepped forward, approaching the underground palace. Suddenly, his muscles tensed. He looked up sharply, as the entire tree moved, some of its branches shaking violently.

Then, some kind of fruit fell, emitting dazzling light, plummeting towards Chu Feng.

"A chestnut tree?!"

Chu Feng was astonished. He hadn't noticed earlier, but the eight-hundred-meter-tall giant tree, with its dense foliage, had kept all its fruits hidden behind its leaves until now.

"What's going on?"

Chu Feng retreated rapidly. These were not ordinary chestnuts; they were also covered in a terrifying layer of spiky husks.

Many people enjoyed eating chestnuts but had never seen these hedgehog-like husks. Their thorns were as sharp as needles and could easily pierce flesh.

The fruits falling from mid-air were enormous, each nine meters long and golden-yellow, like giant hedgehogs crashing down.

Moreover, they exploded in mid-air with tremendous noise. Dense golden spines flew rapidly, piercing through the void and heading straight for Chu Feng.

Chu Feng retreated at supersonic speed, surprised to find that the golden spines were over half a meter long, some even over a meter, reaching and breaking the sound barrier. They were terrifying, like a barrage of golden javelins.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

The incoming "javelins" made a dense whistling sound.

Chu Feng successfully retreated, evading the golden "javelins" raining down from the sky. The power of these golden spines was terrifying; they easily pierced through rocks several meters high, leaving gaping holes in the ground.

The destructive power was immense!

If an ordinary strange beast were here, it would undoubtedly be impaled to the ground in an instant.

After the fruits disintegrated and the golden spines flew, the actual chestnuts also fell. Each was as large as a bed and landed where Chu Feng had just been standing.

Tremendous explosions erupted, the ground burst open, rocks flew into the sky, and millstone-sized boulders scattered in all directions.

Each chestnut was like a heavy bomb, with astonishing destructive power.

Chu Feng stood in the distance, dumbfounded. Was this still a chestnut tree? He simply couldn't believe it; this was utterly preposterous.

Only five fruits had fallen in total. After their husks exploded, they became a sky full of golden javelins with astonishing lethality, while the chestnuts inside, upon landing, acted like massive bombs!

It took him a long time to recover his senses. What was going on? How could even an old chestnut tree become so sinister after the world's changes?

"I don't care what you are. If you dare block my path again, don't blame me for being impolite and severing all your roots!" Chu Feng threatened.

He had to enter that underground palace and obtain Mount Pan's inheritance no matter what, because the sword manipulation technique could significantly boost his strength, and he couldn't miss out.

Chu Feng's entire body glowed, especially his right arm, where the silvery-white energy released after breaking his shackles spread throughout his entire physique.

Especially when he began to activate his special breathing technique, the mysterious energy within his king-level body became even more immense, rapidly surging!

Chu Feng pressed forward, speaking aloud to intimidate and warn the ancient tree.

However, as he approached the shade of the giant tree, it attacked again. Its branches and leaves swayed, and more than a dozen fruits, even more than before, fell from mid-air.

In an instant, golden javelins filled the sky, whistling as they descended. The sight was terrifying; even a quasi-king would be unable to withstand them and would likely be obliterated.

This was because the golden spines were incredibly hard and indestructible, and they surpassed the speed of sound, creating a feeling of intense dread.

Chu Feng was enraged. After killing the beast king, there was still a giant tree opposing him. He unleashed his full power without reservation, employing the Demonic Fist of Great Strength and activating the nearly divine ability he gained after breaking the shackles on his right hand.

Accompanied by the faint roar of an ancient savage ox, a massive silvery-white beam of light shot out, shattering all the short spears that were harder than steel.

Chu Feng moved, traversing the air as if truly flying. Each time, he soared two to three hundred meters, then lightly touched the ground before launching himself again.

Using his powerful king-level divine perception, he dodged the sky-filling short spears and the giant bombs, shouting, "I've already killed the beast king here! If you insist on being my enemy, then die!"

"What? That weasel is dead?" The chestnut tree emitted a hazy thought, seemingly very shocked.

Then, the ground rumbled, and some roots pulled themselves out. It slid along the mountainside, heading deeper into the mountain range.

Chu Feng was stunned. He had reached the underground palace, only for the chestnut tree to flee. It had actually pulled up its roots and slid away along the mountain range.

Chu Feng ignored it and rushed into the underground palace immediately. The sword manipulation technique was too important to miss, and he wanted to investigate thoroughly first.

Soon, he frowned. The underground palace was not very large, simple and ancient inside, with stone beds, stone chairs, and stone meditation cushions. However, there were no carvings, and he found no sign of the sword manipulation technique.

The next moment, Chu Feng burst out of the underground palace and chased after the chestnut tree, traversing the air at supersonic speed, stepping on mountain peaks, treading on huge boulders, and soaring over various large trees.

"Human, are you trying to exterminate me? I'll fight you to the death!"

The eight-hundred-meter-tall chestnut tree slid, creating too much commotion. It was bound to leave very obvious traces, making it impossible to shake off its pursuer.

It roared, and this time the falling fruit was not so simple. There was only one, almost transparent, and it reached the speed of sound as it fell.

When it exploded, the sight was horrifying.

Unaware of the situation, Chu Feng didn't attempt to block it. He sharply changed direction this time, dashing towards another area, reaching his absolute maximum speed.

The scene behind him was terrifying. After the transparent chestnut fruit exploded, thousands of crystalline short spears flew out, completely piercing through a small mountain, making it look like a honeycomb.

This made Chu Feng gasp. He estimated that even a beast king like the old weasel would be pierced through if it tried to withstand the attack head-on. It was truly astonishing.

At the same time, the few chestnuts enclosed within the transparent husks also fell, likewise at supersonic speed. Upon impact with the ground, they exploded with a loud boom.

Chu Feng felt a chill run down his spine. The two small mountains nearby had vanished, utterly blasted apart and gone.

But he wouldn't be intimidated by a mere chestnut tree. He shouted, "Even so, you're still no match for me! With a little effort, I can definitely kill you!"

"I've already left, and I didn't provoke you," the chestnut tree said, sounding quite apprehensive. It didn't have many of those transparent fruits, and more importantly, no matter how powerful they were, they were useless if they couldn't hit the human.

"What about the inheritance in the underground palace? Did you take it?" Chu Feng asked.

The chestnut tree protested, "The inheritance is on you!"

"Nonsense! If it were on me, why would I be looking for that underground palace?" Chu Feng stared at it.

"I once saw that weasel place the flying sword against its forehead to comprehend something. It contains a mental imprint. I believe the so-called inheritance is within the sword itself," the chestnut tree explained.

Chu Feng extended his spiritual energy to probe slightly and was immediately startled, quickly withdrawing. He had detected an unusually powerful spiritual energy that felt somewhat dangerous.

He believed it. Looking at the chestnut tree, he said, "In that case, you don't need to run. Go back and help me guard Mount Pan."

"No!" The chestnut tree seemed very wary of him. After speaking, it immediately fled again, sliding along the mountain range.

"I won't make things difficult for you," Chu Feng called out as he pursued.

"I might consider it after you leave. Don't chase me, or I'll fight you to the death!" the chestnut tree panicked.

Ultimately, Chu Feng turned back, not forcing it. He truly found it miraculous that even a chestnut tree could do such things, capable of launching javelins and bombs.

Chu Feng returned to the back mountain and buried the seeds and stone box he had with him in the herb garden. Nearby underground, there was a two-colored exotic soil, crystalline and translucent.

He wanted to see if he could make the seeds sprout!

Then, he sat cross-legged on the ground, examining the palm-sized crimson flying sword. Finally, he placed it against his forehead and used his spiritual energy to sense it.

"Boom!"

Chu Feng immediately let out a muffled groan. His body swayed, his vision went black, and he nearly fainted, having been struck by a surge of mental imprints.

This horrified him. The imprint was so intense it felt like a celestial sword slicing down, threatening to shatter one's will and obliterate one's spiritual energy.

He was certain that even at the king-level domain, if one's spiritual energy was insufficient, an accident would occur, and one might even die from this impact.

Soon, he saw several ancient-looking carvings: the sword manipulation technique!