Chapter 267: Beast Worse Than an Animal

It was truly a heavy snowfall, blanketing the sky and pouring down. The entire Mount Putuo was transformed into a vast expanse of white, with the ancient thousand-year-old temple and the purple bamboo forest completely covered by snow.

In an instant, the landscape shifted from the height of summer to a mountain sealed by ice and snow. This unprecedented and bizarre transformation had not occurred in a thousand years.

Chu Feng stood on the mountaintop, looking up at the sky and surveying his surroundings, carefully observing for any other unusual changes.

Qian Jia stood beside him, his expression solemn. He, too, had not anticipated that the world's next transformation would begin so suddenly.

Jiang Luoshen, dressed in white, was also present. She felt a certain apprehension, unsure of what the world would become after this drastic change, or if it would still be the familiar Earth she knew.

After the last world transformation, all creatures evolved; from birds to ferocious beasts, all gained intelligence, and many species could almost stand on equal footing with humans. What would happen this time?

No one knew what would happen.

"Only an area of several dozen square miles is covered in ice and snow; it doesn't extend to the distance," Chu Feng noted.

"Benefactor, your spiritual perception is remarkably keen; this old monk is humbled," Qian Jia sighed. Despite both being powerful cultivators who had broken free from five shackles, he acknowledged his inferiority.

Jiang Luoshen quickly left to retrieve her communicator and investigate thoroughly. For the past few days, she had been playing her guqin and reading Buddhist scriptures, isolating herself from the outside world without even carrying her communicator, as part of her spiritual cultivation.

Chu Feng lowered his head, looking at the blood-stained golden bodhi leaf in his hand. He then gazed intently towards the back mountain, hoping to see if that mysterious mountain would reappear after the world's transformation. Vaguely, he heard sounds like human and beast roars coming from mid-air, precisely from the direction where the vanished mountain once stood.

"Master!"

At this moment, several high-ranking members of Bodhi Gene hurried over, anxiously seeking out Qian Jia to ask if the transformation had truly begun.

Then, they looked towards Chu Feng. Someone spoke, "Mr. Chu."

The elders wanted to ask Chu Feng to stay and oversee Mount Putuo. With the world suddenly undergoing a transformation, they felt very uncertain. As high-ranking, albeit barely core, members, they had already spoken with the decision-makers at Bodhi Gene headquarters. They unanimously agreed that the transformation was bizarre and the path ahead unpredictable. With Chu Feng already on Mount Putuo, they believed that persuading him to stay and guard the area would provide significant stability.

Chu Feng's expression remained calm; he said nothing. Why should he stay here to help them guard Mount Putuo?

"After the transformation, all the fortuitous opportunities here can be shared with Mr. Chu," an elder offered.

"Unfortunately, it might not be a fortuitous opportunity," Chu Feng said, pointing to the bodhi tree, which was as thick as a water vat and currently the only sacred ancient tree on the mountain still growing and sprouting. Its unfurled leaves were shrinking; they had not only stopped growing normally and lost their luster, but were also regressing, shrinking back into dim, faded buds.

The elders' expressions changed, becoming very grim. They ordered that two botanists be brought in; it was clear they had been very meticulous since taking over this place, bringing in relevant professionals.

"Reverse growth, this plant is incomprehensible," both botanists stated, completely baffled.

Jiang Luoshen returned, reporting, "Currently, it's snowing in the Fengshan area, Longhu Mountain is covered in silver, Kunlun is a vast expanse of white, and Zhongnan Mountain has two feet of snow."

It wasn't widespread snowfall; only certain famous mountains were experiencing blizzards and had become ice-bound.

Night fell, and the weather grew increasingly cold. Snowflakes continued to fall, and the snow on Mount Putuo was already half a person's height.

Soon, detailed reports began to arrive from Bodhi Gene headquarters. "Only famous mountains and rivers are experiencing snowfall; other areas are not."

That evening, the elders wished to host a banquet for Chu Feng, but he politely declined, not wanting to become too involved with them.

Chu Feng, however, proactively invited Qian Jia. Unfortunately, when he offered him dragon-snake hotpot, the old monk's face darkened slightly, and he decisively refused.

"Master," Chu Feng smiled, "though wine and meat pass through the intestines, the Buddha remains in the heart. You should perceive meat as not meat, and wine as not wine. Why cling to mere appearances?"

"This old monk still sees meat as meat, and wine as wine; that is the essence," Qian Jia replied, clasping his hands together before slowly exiting Chu Feng's room.

In the copper hotpot, dragon-snake meat simmered, its unique rich aroma filling the air. There were also thinly sliced leg meat from the Sheep King, translucent like coral, and wing root meat from the Turtle Dove King. With severe cold setting in and heavy snow drifting outside, enjoying hotpot like this was an indescribable pleasure for any foodie.

The elders from Bodhi Gene even sent over a bottle of fine wine, allowing Chu Feng to enjoy his meal even more.

When Jiang Luoshen arrived at the door, her feelings were somewhat complicated. She used to tease Chu Feng without a second thought, but now she had some reservations. Finally, she set aside the Buddhist scripture, pushed the door open, and entered, regaining her confidence and no longer feeling apprehensive.

"Here to freeload food and drinks," she said calmly, no longer treating Chu Feng as an unparalleled master.

Chu Feng looked up and smiled, "This time, you don't have that clingy Xia Qianyu with you."

Since there was currently no evidence that Bodhi Gene had been involved in besieging and killing him, Chu Feng naturally returned to his calm demeanor, finding no reason to act domineeringly as a king-level powerhouse. The atmosphere immediately relaxed. Jiang Luoshen, graceful and generous, sat down and officially began to partake, though she was genuinely startled by something.

"Is this the Black Dragon Prince of the South Sea?!"

Jiang Luoshen was utterly stunned. The outside world was still unaware of Black Teng's death, and the Sea Race continued to spread rumors that Black Teng possessed a powerful weapon and would decisively eliminate Chu Feng and others. Who could have imagined that Black Teng had ended up on the dining table, and she was fortunate enough to personally taste its tender meat? Even though Jiang Luoshen had long since regained her former poise and was no longer awkward with Chu Feng, she was still thoroughly shocked. If this news were to spread, it would likely terrify many people and leave the entire Sea Race dumbfounded. Where was the Black Dragon Prince of the South Sea? In the hotpot!

"This is the Turtle Dove King, this is the Sheep King, and this is..."

As Chu Feng calmly introduced the dishes, Jiang Luoshen was utterly bewildered, her beautiful eyes wide. Her bamboo chopsticks held the meat, and she was torn between eating it or putting it down. On the table, were all the ingredients in those seven or eight silver plates truly from kings? What's more, they were all renowned king-level powerhouses, some of whom Bodhi Gene had even specifically targeted for recruitment. Yet, they had all become food for Demon King Chu, destined for the hotpot!

Witnessing Chu Feng's calm evaluation and descriptions of the various ingredients' textures, Jiang Luoshen also completely gave in. What king-level powerhouses? They were just food!

Ultimately, both host and guest thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Outside, ice and snow swept through, while inside the room, it was warm, steamy, and richly fragrant. One bottle of wine was far from enough, so Jiang Luoshen sent for more. As the evening progressed, Chu Feng became slightly tipsy, while Jiang Luoshen was nearly completely drunk, her beautiful eyes half-closed, eyelashes fluttering. She had fully let go, reverting to her true nature without any reservations.

"You're truly wicked," Jiang Luoshen said, recalling an old incident, still feeling indignant. "I accompanied Qianyu to a blind date, and at our first meeting, you made us both look miserable and inexplicably landed us in the news."

"Hmm, I remember," Chu Feng slurred with a hint of alcohol on his breath. "People outside are still saying you're pregnant, but seriously, it's not mine!"

Hearing this, Jiang Luoshen's eyes widened, and she wanted to hit him. Being with this guy, once she let her guard down, he invariably got under her skin. She retorted, finally with a drunken smirk, teasing Chu Feng, "The mighty Demon King Chu, who can contend with unparalleled masters, is still forced to go on blind dates every time—and I always happen to see it, haha..."

Jiang Luoshen was slightly inebriated, her fair and delicate face flushed crimson. Her beautiful features radiated a newfound brilliance, and her figure was perfectly alluring.

Chu Feng's face darkened. He did feel quite unlucky; one blind date was with Xia Qianyu, and another was with the Undying Phoenix King, and both times Jiang Luoshen happened to be there.

"What era is this that you're still going on blind dates?" Jiang Luoshen teased. "Just call me 'Sis,' and I'll introduce you to my good sisters later; each one is slender, elegant, and graceful."

"What nonsense are you stirring up? Looking for a spanking again?" Chu Feng said, eyeing her askance and scoffing.

Jiang Luoshen immediately felt embarrassed and annoyed. For some reason, she had been treated rudely by him twice in total, leaving her indignant.

Finally, with a soft thud, Jiang Luoshen completely passed out, gracefully sliding under her seat.

Chu Feng finished the food, finally full and slightly tipsy. Only then did he help her up from the floor, place her directly on the sofa, and cover her with a thick blanket. "If I put you on the bed, what if you wake up, get the wrong idea, and start screaming? Sleep on the sofa!" Then, he staggered into the inner room and collapsed onto the comfortable large bed to sleep.

About half an hour later, Jiang Luoshen groggily got up to go to the bathroom, still intoxicated. When she returned, she instinctively walked directly into the master bedroom. "Hey, Jiang Luoshen, wrong room! Don't molest me!" Chu Feng unkindly reminded her. As a king-level powerhouse, he naturally woke instantly at the slightest disturbance. However, Jiang Luoshen was too drowsy and simply collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep instantly. Chu Feng stared, then, after a moment's thought, he ignored her and also fell into a deep sleep.

Clearly, the next morning was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Outside, it was icy and snowy, with temperatures plummeting. Inside the room, Jiang Luoshen woke up feeling warm, but then realized she was in someone's arms. "Ah..." she shrieked.

"Stop screaming, you molested me!" Chu Feng quickly interjected. Although he held a soft, beautiful, graceful, and tall woman in his arms, it genuinely had nothing to do with him.

"You... what did you do to me?!" Jiang Luoshen sprang up, her slender figure elegantly curved as she landed on the floor.

Chu Feng spread his hands, looking helpless. "Yesterday, you passed out drunk, and I simply tossed you onto the sofa."

Jiang Luoshen's fair, delicate face was filled with indignation. She keenly noticed the words "tossed" and "sofa." This guy was truly unkind; he made her sleep on the sofa?

"Then, in the middle of the night, you snuck into my room. I warned you not to molest me, but you still did. Several times you rolled toward me and I pushed you away, and one time I even accidentally kicked you off the bed. But you were persistent, so I had no choice but to let you molest me, and I barely managed to fall asleep."

Hearing this, Jiang Luoshen wanted to punch him. This guy was utterly despicable; what kind of things was he saying, making her sound so indecent?

"Beast!" she cried out in shame and indignation.

Chu Feng retorted, "Nonsense! I'm clearly worse than a beast. You were drunk, and I unluckily fell asleep, so I didn't even get to be a beast."

"Go to hell!"

"At most, I was passively resisting, and accidentally touched some places," Chu Feng declared righteously. "It was you who insisted on burrowing towards me!"

Whoosh!

Jiang Luoshen simply ran off. There was no arguing with such a person, and saying anything more would only make her furious.

Chu Feng observed Mount Putuo for a moment; the ice and snow remained, but the mysterious mountain behind it had not reappeared. He decided to leave.

Early that morning, an elder mysteriously called Jiang Luoshen's father. "Old Jiang, your daughter has done a great deed. She was with Chu Feng last night; perhaps that kid will join our Bodhi Gene in the future."

"Old Chen, you bastard, how dare you set up my daughter? I'll fight you!" a roar came from the other end of the communicator.

"It has nothing to do with me!"

The two old men, facing their communicators, began to argue heatedly across the distance.

Chu Feng left Putuo, crossing the sea. That morning, the outside world was certainly not destined for peace. The snowfall on famous mountains and great rivers, while other regions remained unaffected, caused a huge uproar. Furthermore, Chu Feng's killing spree the previous day—slaying multiple kings, annihilating the Azure Wolf clan, and killing the Peacock on Mount Putuo—created an enormous sensation. Both pieces of news became trending topics, sparking widespread discussion among countless people.

Chu Feng traveled at an unhurried pace, covering seven thousand kilometers in less than two hours and returning to Jiangxi province. People everywhere were discussing the snowfall on famous mountains and great rivers. Everyone was anticipating that another transformation might have already begun, and they were all waiting. Simultaneously, people were evaluating Chu Feng's combat strength. His single battle, which had shocked the world and seen him slay multiple kings alone, was already common knowledge, astounding and shaking all factions.

At this crucial moment, a self-assured individual from the Sea Race stepped forward, stating that Black Teng was likely to launch an attack. "After the Black Dragon Prince of the South Sea recovers from his injuries, who among the land creatures will be able to contend with him?!" "The South Sea Dragon Race has sent Black Teng a powerful weapon. Demon King Chu alone is no match, and even two or three more unparalleled powerhouses would struggle to contend with Black Teng." Many in the Sea Race held this belief, quietly waiting to witness Black Teng's display of power and settle his grievances with the surging Chu Feng.

At this point, they were still unaware that Black Teng had already become one of Chu Feng's ingredients. Some members of the Sea Race remained quite calm, quietly awaiting the grand spectacle. However, the next piece of news took them completely by surprise. Someone discovered a massive dragon-snake skeleton on Sanqing Mountain, with some flesh still clinging to it, though many parts had been cleanly stripped.

"Black Teng was eaten!" As soon as this news broke, those from the Sea Race were utterly dumbfounded.