Chapter 244: Tearing the Shackles

Late at night, vast dark clouds drifted by, obscuring the sun and moon, plunging the world into complete darkness.

The mountains and forests, in particular, became utterly dark, ancient trees and dense woods casting eerie, shadowy figures like ghosts.

As time passed, the darkness intensified, making it impossible to see not only the trees but even the massive mountain ranges. It was a terrifying, impenetrable blackness.

Roars of wild beasts reverberated through the forests, and the shrill cries of fierce birds pierced the night, sharp enough to cut through metal and crack stone. The night felt truly terrifying.

Suddenly, from the deepest reaches of the dark forest, a human roar erupted, instantly silencing all animal cries and shaking the entire mountain range.

In an instant, all the raptors and fierce beasts fled, desperately scrambling into the distance.

In that area, the darkness was pierced by a patch of crimson light, resembling erupting lava and standing out strikingly against the pitch-black forest.

A figure stood there, his chest glowing with a brilliant crimson light, as if a sun were blossoming within him. His body trembled, wracked by convulsions, as if he were enduring immense agony.

"Ah…" he cried out, abruptly raising his head to stare at the black sky. His face was drenched in sweat, and his entire body was soaked, soon beginning to steam with white mist.

This was Chu Feng, enduring agonizing pain as he struggled to break the fifth set of shackles.

This attempt was far more difficult than he had imagined. Without the aid of pollen, trying to escape this cage and break free from his restraints was exceptionally arduous and perilous.

He felt a searing pain in his heart, as if it were about to rupture again.

Chu Feng was covered in cold sweat, his body trembling. He exerted all his might, channeling all his energy to protect his heart while continuously assailing the surrounding areas.

These so-called internal shackles were invisible to the naked eye and difficult to detect even with instruments. Only through his divine sense could he perceive them clearly within himself.

Wrapped around his crimson heart were energy strands resembling metal chains, locking it down and preventing it from unleashing its latent power.

The sounds of him striking these divine chains were discernible through his divine sense—a cold, metallic clanging, like heavy chains rattling or metal shards colliding.

With his heart as the epicenter, dazzling crimson light emanated, almost burning. Chu Feng's flesh and blood became translucent, nearly transparent, allowing his bones and internal organs to be almost visible.

The violent impacts caused the energy around his heart to glow brilliantly and intensely, radiating divine light.

Chu Feng coughed up a mouthful of blood. Under the strenuous assault, he felt a surging heat in his chest, an unbearable sensation that made his throat taste of salt before he finally expelled the blood.

It was incredibly difficult!

Without relying on sacred pollen, attempting to achieve super-evolution was immeasurably harder. He had been exerting all his strength here, pushing against the limits for a long time.

Earlier, there had been stars and moonlight, but now the forest was silent and utterly dark, all wild beasts having been startled away by his agonizing roar.

Chu Feng exuded a dangerous aura, his king-level energy fluctuating intensely and spreading throughout the mountains. Not only large beasts but even tiny insects had burrowed down and fallen silent.

"Ah…" he cried out, roaring repeatedly, expending all his strength. He involuntarily took a step forward, cracking the mountain earth and causing the trees to sway, their leaves scattering.

Scarlet blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes blazed with astonishing resolve. He could not give up; having come this far, he had to succeed.

Yet, it was immensely dangerous. Without the aid of sacred pollen, the shackles within his body felt as if they were forged from indestructible divine metal, incredibly difficult to break.

"The heart houses the spirit, it is the vessel of life, also known as the great master of the internal organs, the ultimate yang within yang, like a celestial sun illuminating the human body."

Chu Feng recalled certain concepts from Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist texts, wondering if he could leverage them to break this crucial shackle.

This stage was incredibly significant to him; a successful self-reliant evolution would be monumental.

At the same time, he had to break through. Powerful enemies were abundant outside; countless kings, including many top experts who had broken six shackles, were converging on Jiangxi because of him.

If he didn't evolve further, how could he possibly contend with those formidable king-level beings? His life would be in grave danger.

"The heart houses the spirit?" Chu Feng murmured, wiping sweat from his brow. Suddenly, he channeled all his mental energy into his heart, merging it, and then activated his breathing technique.

*Boom!* At that moment, his perception deepened. With his spirit nestled within his heart, he heard its beat, like a colossal divine drum, reverberating through time, pounding furiously.

The sheer volume of the sound caused his spirit to tremble.

Simultaneously, the vibrant red blood pulsed with surging Yang energy, like molten lava, cleansing his spirit and causing the Yang energy to boil over.

The vitality here was incredibly potent, serving as the very wellspring of his physical power!

Blood surged, and his spirit was cradled within it, as if being nurtured in a vast, crimson pool of life-giving energy. This was the dwelling place of the spirit, and even more, the very root of vitality.

The Yang energy grew increasingly potent, like a roaring furnace. His entire heart enveloped the mental energy, resembling a celestial sun suspended in the firmament.

*Boom!* The heat was intense. As Chu Feng mobilized all his body's energy to tear at the shackles on his heart, the area became even more brilliant, with crimson rays shooting forth continuously.

With his spirit now concentrated here, he naturally felt immense pressure.

Finally, with a *boom*, his spiritual energy could no longer withstand the vibrations of this "celestial sun." It instantly burst forth, surging with the lava-like blood throughout his entire body, reaching every inch of his flesh.

Then, with each subsequent heartbeat, it returned via a different pathway, re-concentrating within his heart.

In that instant, Chu Feng was astonished; he realized that with each such burst and return, the power he could command grew stronger.

"The heart houses the spirit, the vessel of life, the ultimate yang within yang, the master of the internal organs, the sun of the human body—it's truly like this!"

Chu Feng had an epiphany, realizing that he should read more Taoist scriptures and Traditional Chinese Medicine texts in the future, as they would be immensely useful to him.

He concealed his mental energy within his heart, nurturing it within the body's "sun." As his blood surged, it flowed vigorously from his arteries to every part of his body, then returned through his veins. This cyclical process proved more effective than his previous method of directly dispersing mental energy throughout his body.

*Boom!* As this process continued, he felt a significant increase in his usable energy, and his entire body turned crimson.

With each cycle, he could clearly perceive the flow of his energy. His heart acted like an eternal divine furnace, generating vital force that permeated his entire body, ensuring the continuous circulation of life essence.

Chu Feng once again poured all his efforts into assailing the heart's shackles. He now felt significantly stronger and believed he might succeed in breaking them.

*Boom!* His blood surged, and his heart glowed. Crimson light fully emanated from his body, illuminating the pitch-black forest, bathing the entire area in a vibrant red glow.

It was no longer a pitch-black night where one couldn't see their hand; instead, the area was extraordinarily brilliant.

As Chu Feng continued his assault, his heart's beating grew increasingly loud, a rhythmic thumping audible even from dozens of meters away.

Eventually, the sound intensified further, a muffled thudding like a colossal drumbeat!

This was astonishing; not only could Chu Feng hear it, but even from a considerable distance, others could clearly hear the "drumming"—a powerful and robust sound.

It was truly world-shattering. The powerful pulsations of his heart generated unparalleled vitality, unleashing immense strength that circulated throughout his entire being.

Chu Feng's body was crimson, as vigorous vital energy overflowed from his pores, accompanied by a crimson glow. His heart pounded at its absolute limit, harnessing the life force of his entire body.

Then, in that instant, a final, tremendous sound erupted, as if a celestial drum had been struck so hard it shattered. Chu Feng's body convulsed violently.

Dazzling light burst from his heart, then quickly receded. He stumbled, blood staining the corner of his mouth.

Clearly, a violent transformation had occurred within him.

Soon after, he abruptly looked up, and two lightning-like beams of light shot from his eyes, illuminating the dark night sky.

He wiped the blood from his lips, a gradual smile spreading across his face as a distinct cracking sound echoed from within his body.

After the heart's final, extraordinary tremor, the nearby shackles developed cracks and began to crumble!

Chu Feng smiled; he had succeeded!

However, he didn't relax. He focused his mind and began to assess his internal condition. The moment had been incredibly perilous; his heart had been pushed to its absolute limit.

If that final tremor hadn't succeeded, his heart could have ruptured again, leading to severe injury and ultimately, complete failure.

Fortunately, after that desperate struggle, he had broken through the formidable shackles.

Now, the area around his heart shimmered with vibrant colors as the dazzling, sacred shackles continuously cracked and slowly disintegrated, no longer able to restrain the inherent power of the "human body's celestial sun."

*Boom!* Finally, like a mountain torrent or a vast sea breaching its dam, the colorful, sacred chains completely shattered in an instant, transforming into intense beams of energy that surged wildly into his heart.

Subsequently, this brilliant radiance spread throughout his entire body.

Only at this moment was his success complete. Chu Feng had fully broken the fifth set of shackles and initiated his super-evolution.

These vibrant chains were materialized energy. Though referred to as shackles, they were the very essence of evolution. By tearing them apart and allowing their energy to return to his heart, which then spread throughout his body, his physique was enhanced and his human form transformed!

Myriad crimson rays burst forth.

Chu Feng's heart instantly became immeasurably stronger, filled with an astonishing surge of energy that made it incredibly resilient.

Its current beat was no longer exceptionally loud, resembling that of a normal person, but the power it now wielded was unimaginable, far surpassing its previous state!

His entire heart was a vibrant, fresh red, as if it were about to drip. It resembled a crystalline coral or a magnificent blood-red diamond, translucent, brilliant, and utterly dazzling.

As the energy from his heart permeated every part of his body, it signaled the full eruption of his super-evolution.

His entire being radiated a terrifying energy fluctuation that spread through the forest. In just an instant, every bird and beast throughout the mountain range trembled with fear, prostrating themselves on the ground.

It was an astonishing energy that compelled all creatures to tremble and instinctively submit.

That night, Chu Feng successfully evolved, relying solely on himself to break the fifth set of shackles within his body!