Chapter 28: Mountain Hardening

"The Taihang Mountains will soon be restless," Chu Feng murmured, gazing out the window at the vast night sky where meteors occasionally streaked across and vanished in an instant.

Extraordinary individuals were sure to arrive. Fruits from such a rare and wondrous tree could create masters like the Silver-Winged Celestial, Vajra, Fire Spirit, and White Tiger King. How could anyone not be tempted? Most powerful extraordinary individuals would rush there if they could make it in time! With their appearance, some might achieve fame in battle, while others might vanish like meteors in the night sky, their lives extinguished in the mountains. In any case, the Taihang Mountains were on the verge of significant upheaval!

"Is Lin Yaoyao also coming for this?" Chu Feng frowned slightly. In the near future, this area was destined for constant turmoil, and the mountains would become extremely dangerous. He knew that Celestial Biology was a colossal entity, now even boasting the Silver-Winged Celestial. Rumor had it that during his last silver-winged strike, all extraordinary individuals who challenged him were utterly defeated, unstoppable by anyone!

In a residence in the county town, Ye Ge's face was grim, purple light flickering in his slender eyes. Not long ago, he had been reprimanded by his superiors, who questioned why news of the precious tree in the Taihang Mountains had spread so quickly. Zhu Qingyu's expression was also far from pleasant; her usual smile was gone. As one of the team leaders, she too had been questioned.

Celestial Biology had been monitoring the Taihang Mountains for a long time, dispatching personnel to search the area. They were the first to discover the wondrous tree. Who would have thought the news would leak and spread to the outside world? As a result, the situation was now tumultuous, and everyone knew about it. Large numbers of extraordinary individuals would undoubtedly arrive, and once the fruits ripened, conflict was inevitable. The superiors were furious.

Zuo Jun hung his head, clutching his communicator tightly and staring at the screen. He hated that person intensely; the moment the screen lit up, he would connect immediately and curse them out.

"Zuo Jun, what are you spacing out for!" Ye Ge snapped. He was usually calm, but now he was clearly furious. "You were severely injured. Could it be that you leaked the information before you lost your memory?"

Zuo Jun was stunned, then his face went pale instantly. He quickly shook his head. He could never admit to such a thing, or he would face dire consequences. "Absolutely not! How could I be a spineless coward? I fought desperately, even to the point of losing my memory!" Zuo Jun became agitated, standing up and roaring his defense.

"None of us could have leaked the information. Could it have been the other two teams?" an extraordinary individual nearby suggested. Although several teams belonged to Celestial Biology, they were also in competition with each other. The other two teams had later learned the location of the young tree.

"It could be other forces, like Bodhi Gene. They've also appeared in the Taihang Mountains in the past two days," Zhu Qingyu said. Bodhi Gene also primarily operated in biomedicine, consistently at the forefront of the industry, maintaining a leading position similar to Celestial Biology. When it first started, it had a somewhat mysterious aura. It's rumored that during its inception, they invited several top experts in biomedicine and a few centenarian monks. They used the most advanced instruments to conduct various examinations on the elderly monks. Later, Bodhi Gene gradually grew stronger, becoming increasingly renowned in the post-civilization era and evolving into a super consortium.

"This area of the Taihang Mountains is ours, and they're still coming to stir up trouble," an extraordinary individual complained.

"Perhaps they sensed that we already had the upper hand here, which is why they want to muddy the waters," Zhu Qingyu said. The extraordinary individuals frowned. Bodhi Gene was not easy to deal with; they certainly didn't lack masters, such as Vajra, who could contend with the Silver-Winged Celestial.

"Let the higher-ups worry about these things. We just need to do what we're supposed to do," Ye Ge gradually calmed down. They all knew that soon, conflict would erupt in these mountains, and it was unknown how many extraordinary individuals would appear.

In the Chu family's courtyard in Qingyang Town, the wind whistled and muffled thunder rumbled. Chu Feng was practicing his boxing, his every movement different from before, his fists covered in a layer of mysterious power. As he swung his fist, he stirred up a flurry of petals and leaves. Finally, with a soft shout, he exhaled a stream of white mist from his mouth and nose, which circled the courtyard once before returning to his body. He had mastered the eighth form of the Ox Demon Fist!

His progress was so rapid that even the Yellow Ox looked at him strangely. However, despite two days of intense practice, he couldn't master the ninth form. This final form was peculiar, echoing the most difficult first form. He stopped, rested briefly, and then went to the kitchen to prepare some food.

However, the refrigerator was empty, with nothing to eat. There was a piece of steak in the freezer, but if the Yellow Ox saw it, it would probably fight him for it.

"No, I need to go out!" Chu Feng decided. Major supermarkets were now empty, and it was impossible to buy any meat. While there was some grain at home, his intense boxing practice consumed a lot of energy, leaving him feeling very hungry every day. Ordinary food was simply insufficient; he needed a large quantity of meat.

"Yellow Ox, let's go to the mountains!" Chu Feng called out. If he was truly going into the big mountains, he definitely had to bring the Yellow Ox, as this fellow had emerged from the mysterious primeval mountains. The Yellow Ox ignored him, looking lazy and unwilling to move.

"No more pork chops, the turkey's all gone. From now on, you'll only eat grass, so you figure it out!" Chu Feng threatened. Hearing this, the Yellow Ox scrambled off the large bed. Upon hearing there was no meat to eat, it became indignant, acting nothing like a herbivore. Finally, at Chu Feng's insistence, it set off with him.

The Taihang Mountains stretched endlessly, magnificent and vast. In this region, mountains rose in clusters, their terrain undulating. After walking straight east through the fruit orchards, they could enter the mountains after about twenty li. The mountains had always been home to many wild animals, though hunting was previously prohibited. There was a decent variety of animals: wild boars, clouded leopards, macaques, roe deer, deer, badgers, and more. Of course, what people least wanted to encounter were wolf packs.

At the speed of Chu Feng and the Yellow Ox, it didn't take long to reach the heart of the mountains. Along the way, Chu Feng observed carefully, looking for any unusual fruits, as this area was largely untrodden by humans. Unfortunately, he found nothing.

"Wait, where are you going? It's too dangerous over there," Chu Feng suddenly stopped. The Yellow Ox had run ahead and was about to rush towards a majestic mountain shrouded in mist, where terrifying beast roars echoed and colossal, dozens-of-meters-long fierce birds occasionally circled. The Yellow Ox stopped and gestured to him, indicating that was where it wanted to go.

"That's a perilous place, too many fierce beasts!" Chu Feng's expression changed. It was important to note that this wasn't the Taihang Mountains in the ordinary sense, but rather a primeval mountain range that had emerged with the changes in heaven and earth. The mountain mass was simply too vast; just one peak was equivalent to dozens or even hundreds of ordinary mountains, towering over ten thousand meters high, soaring into the clouds. On the mountain, ancient trees pierced the sky, thick old vines twisted, and the cries of apes mingled with the roars of tigers, presenting a primal landscape. Even from a great distance, one could feel a pervasive and terrifying aura of fierce intent.

"Real combat!" The Yellow Ox gravely etched two words on the ground. This was why it had brought Chu Feng here, to point out what he was currently lacking. Chu Feng's expression shifted slightly, and he hesitated. Before coming, he hadn't considered approaching those fierce birds and monstrous beasts. After the Taihang Mountains' mutation, hundreds of thousands of mysterious giant mountains had appeared in this region, and this was only one of them.

"Moo!" the Yellow Ox urged.

"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Chu Feng gritted his teeth. He knew the Yellow Ox wouldn't harm him and that its words made perfect sense. Since he had learned the Ox Demon Fist, what more did he have to fear? Perhaps the Ox Demon Fist was born in such a brutal environment.

Finally, they approached the mountain mass. It was truly massive, like walking onto an incredibly vast plateau. The vegetation here was dense, and primitive creatures were abundant.

"They can't get out, but I can get in?" Chu Feng asked. The Yellow Ox told him that was indeed the case.

"Then can I still get out?" Chu Feng wondered. The Yellow Ox nodded, telling him not to worry; as long as he wasn't killed by a beast, he could return the way he came. Chu Feng was bewildered, not understanding the logic, but the Yellow Ox clearly wasn't willing to explain further.

Although still some distance away, he could already see some unheard-of fierce beasts: a creature resembling a lion, with bone spurs covering its back, standing ten meters tall, moving through the mountain forest. Chu Feng swallowed, feeling a sense of dread. Could he truly be a match for such a huge beast? The Yellow Ox glared at him. Once inside the forest, he didn't necessarily have to fight desperately. The primary task was survival; first ensure he stayed alive, then choose suitable opponents to hunt.

Finally, Chu Feng stepped into this primeval mountain territory. There were too many ancient trees, blotting out the sky. Some old vines were as thick as water vats, sprawling across the forest floor. The Ox Demon immediately warned him to move using the various forms of the Ox Demon Fist, tensing his muscles, and concealing his aura. Chu Feng complied and quickly followed it away from their original position.

Boom! Indeed, the mountain forest was extremely dangerous. In the distance, vegetation shook as a house-sized beast, resembling a leopard but with a pair of horns, charged forward and landed with a thud precisely where they had just been standing. From a distance, hidden behind the foliage, Chu Feng clearly saw it and gasped. He realized there was still much to learn. This primeval mountain was indeed a training ground; only by surviving and leaving would he truly be considered skilled.

By now, Chu Feng no longer resisted; instead, he fully immersed himself, honing his skills here. This was because, soon, the Taihang Mountains would become a gathering point for many extraordinary individuals, and major battles were inevitable. Now, his entry into the primeval mountains, though perilous, was also a transformation, allowing him to adapt to various crises—more important than merely improving his boxing techniques.

While moving through the dense forest, a fist-sized spider suddenly dropped down on a thread, nearly touching Chu Feng's face. Bang! Without thinking, he threw a punch, sending bits of flesh splattering. He quickly checked his fist, worried about poisoning. The Yellow Ox slowly shook its head, indicating there was no need to worry; the Ox Demon Fist was not that weak.

Along the way, Chu Feng encountered many monsters. The most dangerous instance was when a colossal, over twenty-meter-long fierce bird nearly pounced on him—the scene was incredibly perilous. The fierce bird was entirely fiery red, wreathed in flames. When it chased him, it crashed into a mountain wall, melting even large rocks. This place was too dangerous! Chu Feng didn't confront it directly; instead, he plunged into the forest and disappeared.

As they passed through a silent part of the forest, Chu Feng felt a strong unease. Based on his prior experience, he knew there was likely an incredibly formidable fierce beast here. This place was probably its lair, and other creatures dared not approach. Because it was too quiet here. However, the Yellow Ox insisted he move forward.

Soon after, Chu Feng's hair stood on end. He saw a completely snow-white tiger, without even a single stripe, six meters long, with sharp claws glinting coldly. "That's no tiger!" Because it had three tails, each glowing with a crystalline sheen. With a gentle sway, they could smash rocks!

The Yellow Ox etched words on the ground, telling Chu Feng that they would eat this one today. Chu Feng's eyes widened. This was a massive fierce beast; were they really going to hunt it?

"That's it!" The Yellow Ox confirmed, nodding gravely there, telling him to go and attack it, using it to practice his boxing. The area ahead was relatively open, without vegetation, and the ground was hard. There was a cave in the mountain wall, evidently the monster's lair.

At that moment, the six-meter-long leviathan opened its merciless eyes and gazed towards them, sensing the unfamiliar intruders. "Roar!" With a mighty roar, the ground shook. The monster transformed into a streak of white light and lunged instantly, incredibly fast, bringing with it a gust of foul wind.

"Practice boxing!" Chu Feng shouted, gritted his teeth, and charged forward.