Chapter 162: Saintly Herb Garden

The Holy City of the Vatican unfolded like a mottled ancient scroll, with magnificent buildings stretching continuously. Whether ancient castles or churches, all possessed a profound sense of history.

"The city we stand in now is identical to the Holy City described in historical records from the Papacy's most glorious era," someone remarked. "It is truly a miracle, resurrected in the present age."

Chu Feng and his two companions, accompanied by Ovid, were learning about this mysterious city. All the buildings possessed a dark golden luster, having been refined by the passage of time, and were perpetually imbued with a sacred glow. A solemn and divine power seemed to intertwine around them.

"Hmm, so you are Chu Feng?"

From across the street, a young man with golden hair approached. His hair was brilliant, like golden flames burning, and he appeared like a sun god. When his eyes opened and closed, intimidating golden beams of light shot forth. Without needing anyone to say it, it was clear this was a formidable powerhouse whose strength was exceptionally immense. He resembled a legendary Divine Knight of the Papacy, with a sacred power permeating around him.

"The Golden Lion King!" Ovid exclaimed, on guard, and immediately revealed his identity to warn Chu Feng and his companions. This was a Lion King who had broken through four shackles, very famous in the Vatican, with astonishing strength. Generally, few dared to provoke him; besides his own power, his background was also extraordinary. Behind him was an Old Lion King who had broken through six shackles. That being did not become a king in the present age but had already approached invincibility many years ago. Although the two were not related by blood, they belonged to the same race, and that was enough!

The Golden Lion King approached, his golden long hair flowing like flickering flames, illuminating the street with a dazzling splendor. Every movement he made carried a terrifying aura. He smiled, looking at Chu Feng. An intimidating power emanated from his golden pupils, very dangerous!

Chu Feng's crimson flying sword was already glowing faintly in secret, ready to strike at any moment. Even if this Golden Lion King was extraordinary, if he was an enemy, Chu Feng would hold nothing back. Of course, if he could reasonably avoid making an enemy of a powerhouse of this level, he naturally wouldn't want to act. He didn't seek trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either!

The Golden Lion King's attitude was unclear. He circled Chu Feng, his terrifying aura still fluctuating, rising and falling like an ocean. His pupils then became even more dazzling, like two miniature suns. The Yellow Ox and the Big Black Ox secretly sensed trouble and prepared for battle.

"Hmm, little lion, you're here too." Just then, an aged voice sounded, and an old man walked from the end of the street. He was very old, his curly hair completely white, but his azure eyes remained profound. His complexion was also ruddy, and he was full of vigor.

This was a Western elder. The moment he appeared, the Golden Lion King's muscles tensed, his pupils rapidly contracted, and he retreated a few steps.

"Shiller," the Golden Lion King said, clearly wary; otherwise, he wouldn't have put a safe distance between them.

The elder named Shiller smiled, nodded at him, and slowly approached. The Golden Lion King also smiled, returning to normal. He then turned around, patted Chu Feng's shoulder, gave him a deep look, and left directly. Just around the corner of the street, the Jackal King and Leopard King appeared, meeting the Golden Lion King. Both looked disappointed and quickly left with him.

Divine light burst from Chu Feng's eyes. That Lion King earlier had indeed come for him, summoned by the Jackal King and Leopard King. "Thank you, senior," Chu Feng said to the elder. He knew the old man's intervention was an act of goodwill, driving away the Lion King.

"As fellow humans, it was just a small favor. No need to say more," Shiller said with a smile, and then left.

Ovid took a deep breath and said, "In the city, you must be careful of a few powerful individuals. Do not provoke them easily." The Black Dragon King, the Undying Phoenix King, the Arctic King, the Silver Moon Wolf King, and Shiller — these beings were currently the strongest existences within the Vatican, all having broken through six shackles. Shiller was the old man from just now, originating from the human race, reportedly from the Papacy, known as the last knight, and extremely familiar with this city. Chu Feng and the Yellow Ox were both alerted. To have several peerless powerhouses concentrated in just one city was truly astonishing.

The streets, paved with smooth stones, were dust-free, neat and clean. The buildings along the road were in the architectural style of a thousand years ago, ancient and solemn.

"The Old Lion King didn't come?" the Big Black Ox asked.

"No. This Golden Lion is enough trouble already," Ovid replied, adding that even an old knight like Shiller, who had broken through six shackles, was unwilling to easily provoke him.

Chu Feng realized that his prior battle had indeed established his prestige, saving him a lot of trouble. At the very least, ordinary king-level beings wouldn't dare to cause trouble for him, but the Golden Lion, Red Scale, and others were definitely not among them. Especially that lion just now, which had almost made a move.

The Big Black Ox indignantly said, "Let's find a chance to skin it! Was it silently threatening us just now? If that old man Shiller hadn't come, it might have attacked."

The Holy City was vast, with some buildings intermittently glowing. Prayers emanating from the churches were quite astonishing. Ovid explained that these were sounds from a thousand years ago, imprinted within the ancient walls.

Finally, they entered the center of the Holy City, where there was a medicinal garden. It was enveloped by a layer of light barrier, resembling a giant glowing bowl inverted on the ground, preventing anyone from entering. This was the Sacred Medicinal Garden, and also the most astonishing place in the Vatican. All kings had come for it!

Lush and verdant, all the plants and herbs in the garden ahead were crystal clear and glistening, glowing translucently, and exuding astonishing vitality. It was clear at a glance that they were sacred species. There was a small emerald-green tree, no taller than a person, yet its trunk was robust. Only one fruit hung among its branches and leaves, a golden peach swaying in the breeze and emitting streams of golden light. Just looking at it was enough to stir one's heart. This was definitely no ordinary fruit.

On another side, there was a three-meter-tall ancient red tree. From its trunk to its leaves and roots, it was all red, as if carved from red agate. Several bowl-sized flower buds were blooming on it, radiating a crimson glow and shrouded in a reddish mist. Needless to say, it was extraordinary! At the same time, not far away, there was a vine, shimmering purple, coiled around a giant rock. At the end of the vine, there hung a purple-gold fruit the size of a baby's fist. Looking slightly further inside, a giant ancient tree, easily over ten meters tall, was entirely silver-white. Surprisingly, it bore snow-white flower buds over three feet in diameter, enveloped in a silvery glow.

At this moment, Chu Feng, the Yellow Ox, and the Big Black Ox all widened their eyes. Just by casually looking around, they could see over a dozen astonishing sacred plants. The Yellow Ox asserted that any single one of the plants they had just seen would be enough to cause their evolution and greatly increase their strength! No wonder kings of all kinds were rushing here. With such sacred plants growing, who wouldn't be tempted? Moreover, this was only the outer region of the garden. Deeper inside, it was hazy and difficult to see clearly; only the faint outlines of a few ancient trees could be made out.

"Are there people on that ancient tree?" Chu Feng asked, surprised. Through the hazy light, they saw the ancient tree's branches swaying, as if several humanoid beings were hanging from them. Unfortunately, they couldn't see clearly.

"They're not people, they're fruits," Ovid informed them. Originally, the outlines they saw were flowers, but as time passed, the flowers bloomed and withered, eventually growing into humanoid fruits! This was astounding!

"There's something even more astonishing. Look over there."

Ovid led the three of them a dozen steps further to view from a different angle. In the garden, there were several withered old trees with sparse leaves. Some of their roots were exposed on the ground, and the sight there was astonishing.

"What is that?!" Even the Big Black Ox was stunned. Creatures were connected to the roots of several ancient trees! One of the ancient trees had more roots exposed on the surface, making it the clearest to see. A woman was there, her back to the group, revealing a snow-white back and long golden hair. She was prostrate there, her back to everyone, and her lower body was still buried in the earth. A root was connected to her body; she had grown from underground!

"What's going on?" Even Chu Feng was dumbfounded. Although he used to often babble nonsense to the three seeds in the stone box, saying he wanted to grow Nine Heavens Profound Maidens, that was just a joke, and he didn't believe it could be realized. But now, the ancient trees here had actually grown living beings! Chu Feng looked at the Yellow Ox, wanting to hear its opinion.

"This Sacred Medicinal Garden is like the deepest part of Kunlun, the area we couldn't enter," the Yellow Ox said. "There are sacred trees recovering here, but what grows from them... it's incomprehensible!" Even the Yellow Ox couldn't fully understand. It couldn't determine whether the things connected to the ancient tree's roots were living beings or fruits.

"When will this barrier disappear?" the Big Black Ox asked. He was a bit impatient, wishing he could immediately charge in and harvest the mysterious fruits. So many ancient trees, either bearing fruit or blooming, it was the best season. And in the deeper parts of the garden, there were areas that couldn't be seen, which were probably even more astonishing. Heaven knew what was growing there.

"The barrier is unstable. At this point, the Sacred Medicinal Garden could open at any time," Ovid said. "In fact, we have tried to break in before, but we all suffered great losses." He pointed into the garden, signaling them to look closely.

"Hmm?"

Chu Feng noticed that near an ancient tree, a rusty greatsword was plunged into the ground. Only a small portion of it was visible above the surface, appearing to be an ancient artifact. In another area, he saw a war spear. It should have originally been golden, but now it was dull and lusterless, having lost its sharp edge. All around, there were a total of six or seven weapons. All of them were ancient artifacts, having endured long ages.

"These weapons are terrifying," Ovid solemnly informed them. "Leaving aside the others, take the greatsword under that ancient tree as an example. It looks rusty, but last time it automatically pulled itself out of the ground, released brilliant light, and cleaved an invading beast king in half!" Not to mention the other weapons, at that time, this greatsword alone killed one beast king and severely wounded Red Scale, leaving a terrifying wound on his body. Chu Feng was awed! The two oxen were also astonished and paid extra attention. If they broke in, they would have to be careful of those ancient artifacts.

But when they turned to another direction, they saw several more ancient trees, glowing all over, each bearing flowers the size of a bowl, blooming with auspicious colors.

"A single flower bud could let us evolve. These are sacred petals," the Yellow Ox drooled.

"There are some wondrous sights you can't see now," Ovid said with a sigh of regret. "When we forced our way in, we saw pollen scattering everywhere in a deeper area, spewing forth radiant light. Alas, we couldn't get close then!" Chu Feng was also tempted. He wished he could immediately charge in.

Just then, they saw a woman. Her black hair cascaded down, and her figure was slender. She was gazing at the Sacred Medicinal Garden; only her beautiful, flawless profile was visible. She must have been a beautiful woman. She turned around. In an instant, black fierce flames surged around her, enveloping her, exuding a terrifying aura, and surging towards the group. Ovid's expression changed. He quickly pulled Chu Feng and his companions back.

"The Undying Phoenix King!" he whispered, informing Chu Feng and his companions.

"Were you few lingering outside my residence?" the woman spoke. Her voice was pleasant, but it was also cold and sharp.

"We were deceived; someone tried to harm us," Chu Feng replied.

A ball of black fierce flames transformed into a spiritual snake on the ground, coming at high speed, intending to engulf Chu Feng and his companions. The Yellow Ox's body tensed up. One must know this was a creature that had broken through six shackles, known as the Undying Phoenix King! Chu Feng clenched the Vajra ornament in his hand, ready to strike at any moment!

However, the black flames eventually stopped, advanced no further, and slowly receded. On the other side, a white-haired middle-aged man appeared, smiling at the Phoenix King, saying, "The Sacred Medicinal Garden could open at any time, Phoenix King. You should conserve your energy." Fierce flames flickered around the black-haired woman's body. She turned and left.

"Thank you, Arctic King!" Ovid spoke, expressing his gratitude.

"Don't mention it. The Phoenix King actually wasn't planning to attack," the Arctic King chuckled. His white hair was striking. He nodded at Chu Feng and his companions and then left.

The Arctic King, the Black Dragon King, Shiller, the Undying Phoenix King, and the Silver Moon Wolf King were currently the strongest combatants in the Vatican, worthy of being called peerless masters. They came from different places: some from the Arctic, some from the Mongolian steppes, and others were terrifying super-beings from Europe.

"I want to become stronger!" the Big Black Ox growled. In fact, Chu Feng and the Yellow Ox were also extremely eager, hoping to enter the Sacred Medicinal Garden and begin their journey of evolution.

After a long tour, they finally understood more about the Holy City of the Vatican and had a clearer picture of the Sacred Medicinal Garden's situation. The barrier here was unstable, meaning they could enter at any time. Finally, Chu Feng and his companions, accompanied by Ovid, chose a residence and stayed in the Holy City to await their chance.

Two days later, the time was right! Shiller, the Arctic King, and the Black Dragon King simultaneously roared, shaking the entire Holy City. They summoned all king-level masters to gather, declaring that the barrier was unstable, and they could combine their strength to break in!