Chapter 301: 弹指一春秋

"Where will you run, you tailless sick cat?!" Chu Feng continuously taunted. The Sea God Tiger was so enraged it wanted to turn around and fight him to the death.

It had never been so humiliated. Being defeated was one thing, but Chu Feng kept gloating, shouting all the way, as if to ensure the entire world knew of its defeat.

Fortunately, everyone else had retreated, leaving only the two of them behind. Otherwise, it would have truly wanted to burrow into the ground out of sheer humiliation.

As more mountains appeared along the route, Chu Feng's path was inevitably obstructed. Unable to fly like the Sea God Tiger, he was gradually outpaced.

"Sick cat," Chu Feng called out, "I'll give you a chance. Become my mount, and I'll show you all the splendors of the world."

"You…!" The Sea God Tiger was so furious it trembled, wishing it could kill Chu Feng on the spot and curse him with every foul word imaginable.

Eventually, the Sea God Tiger vanished from sight. Helpless because he couldn't fly, Chu Feng could only continue his journey on foot, traversing mountains and valleys.

The Sea God Tiger, riding the wind and thunder like a supersonic aircraft, soared across the sky directly to the edge of the space. It then descended through a large hole, following a gourd vine, and successfully escaped.

The space below was not large, and many members of the Sea Race were still gathered there, not having yet exited.

"The Sea God Tiger's tail..."

A sea beast was utterly astonished and taken aback. The Sea God Tiger was incredibly powerful, virtually invincible among them, sweeping aside all opposition.

Yet, it had suffered such severe injuries: many scales were missing, its golden aura was dim, a large chunk of flesh was gone from its hind leg, and its tail was broken.

"Could the ancient evolver from the green gourd have broken free?" someone couldn't help but ask, assuming the Sea God Tiger had encountered an ancient demon.

"Let's go, quickly!" Hearing this, the others panicked and prepared to rush out immediately.

"Where is Octopus King?!" someone demanded.

The Sea God Tiger's expression was grim. Without a word, it immediately burst out of the space. Seeing its reaction, the others instantly understood, and their expressions changed.

"It lost to that human?!"

They didn't hesitate, following them out. With important figures like Luo Tian, the Merman, and the Sea God Tiger already outside, there was no longer any reason to linger.

The group surged out of the dilapidated small Taoist temple, following an energy tunnel.

A group of land-based masters had already emerged and stood nearby, emanating killing intent.

"Oh my, cousin, where's your tail?" the Northeast Tiger called out from a distance, seeing the Sea God Tiger bloody and missing its tail, mocking it deliberately.

"I'll slaughter you!" the Sea God Tiger roared, glaring and preparing to charge.

A powerful member of the Sea Race immediately restrained it, preventing any rash moves. A group of land-based powerhouses were gathered opposite, united in their animosity, having long sought revenge.

By now, most of the land-based super-powerhouses had nearly recovered, energized and revitalized by the monster-refining fruit.

Furthermore, a conflict had just taken place.

The Sea Race had already experienced the devastating power of the staff; it was practically unblockable. Fortunately, the Sea Race possessed more powerful weapons, or they would have suffered a significant defeat.

"Where's Chu Feng?!" the Black Ox demanded, expressing their concern.

"Dead!" the Sea God Tiger retorted angrily.

It was seething with suppressed anger. Today's experience had been utterly dreadful, leaving it filled with resentment.

Many people at the foot of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, though keeping their distance, still heard these words and were greatly astonished.

The two oxen immediately widened their eyes, ready to wield their staffs. They doubted Chu Feng had fallen, knowing he possessed extreme speed and could always escape even if outmatched.

"Sick cat, my mount, where do you think you're going?!" Just then, a voice echoed from the dilapidated small Taoist temple, and Chu Feng emerged.

The Sea Race immediately erupted in disbelief. This human was too ferocious! What was he carrying in his hand? A tiger's tail covered in scales.

Down the mountain, the crowd erupted into a frenzy.

The Sea God Tiger utterly defeated?!

The news spread like wildfire. Many people in the distance were taking photos, unable to contain their excitement, as the day's events had been full of unexpected twists and turns.

Earlier, everyone had believed the old grandmasters of Wudang Mountain and their companions had died in battle, so their emergence alive was a complete surprise.

And for a supreme powerhouse like the Sea God Tiger to be defeated by Chu Feng and lose its tail was an event that would undoubtedly shock the world.

"Where is Octopus King?!" someone from the Sea Race loudly demanded, seeking confirmation.

"I killed him!" Chu Feng stated coldly.

He looked up at the sky, feeling something was amiss. Why was it snowing again? Small snowflakes drifted gently down.

Nearby, a group of Sea Race powerhouses were filled with shock and anger, yet also immense apprehension. Had a supreme king like Octopus King truly perished within Dragon and Tiger Mountain's mysterious space?

Seeing the tiger tail in Chu Feng's hand, the group stood in awe.

With a whoosh, the Yellow Ox and others charged forward, wielding their staffs, worried Chu Feng might be at a disadvantage, as he was surrounded by many Sea Race members.

"Have you seen the Master of Jade Pure Palace?" Chu Feng whispered, having searched the crowd but failed to spot him.

The Black Ox replied, "Even Peacock King escaped — I wanted to hit him with a staff, but he just flew off. But I haven't seen the Master of Jade Pure Palace at all."

The Master of Eight Sceneries Palace approached and told Chu Feng that the Master of Jade Pure Palace was severely wounded, with his heart nearly torn apart, and likely had not yet emerged.

In fact, it wasn't just the Master of Jade Pure Palace who hadn't emerged; several other masters who had broken their six shackles were also missing, confirmed to have died in battle inside.

Chu Feng contacted Lu Tong for an update, asking if there was any news about the Master of Jade Pure Palace, but the answer was negative.

"I'll go find him!" Chu Feng declared. If he was to repay a favor, he would do so completely. He had saved many people today, and the escape of numerous masters could be attributed to him.

The Sea Race contingent now had no desire to fight. They were contacting the outside world, and having seemingly received horrifying news, their expressions changed, and they involuntarily looked towards the sea.

"The ocean is undergoing drastic changes!"

Soon, news spread across the land that heavy snow was sealing the sea, even reaching the people at Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

"Go!"

The Sea God Tiger was the first to bolt, and despite its severe injuries, its speed remained incredibly fast as it shot madly towards the distant sky.

Other Sea Race powerhouses also departed, rushing down Dragon and Tiger Mountain, eager to leave the land immediately.

Chu Feng and the others didn't try to stop them, as the Sea Race still held a numerical advantage and possessed powerful weapons. In a decisive battle, it would be difficult to predict the victor.

Crucially, after a series of intense battles, although their physical wounds had healed, everyone was mentally exhausted, and their apparent vigor was merely a facade.

Chu Feng asked everyone for details about the Master of Jade Pure Palace, wanting to understand the situation fully before re-entering the deeper parts of the space.

"It's too dangerous!" the Yellow Ox protested.

However, Chu Feng believed there was still time, asserting that the woman inside the green gourd would require significant effort to break free.

Ultimately, the Yellow Ox re-entered the space with him. From a great distance, they could hear violent explosions and see lightning and thunder deep within the area.

"We need to be quick," the Yellow Ox said grimly. "She's about to break free. She's triggered the restriction, drawing down lightning strikes. This woman is terrifyingly powerful!"

"You should go back," Chu Feng told him, "I can search for him alone."

The Yellow Ox did not insist, knowing Chu Feng was faster. His primary purpose in coming had been to ascertain when the woman would escape.

Following the clues provided by the others, Chu Feng tracked his way towards the area where the Master of Jade Pure Palace had been seen. He eventually found him, lying weak in a mountainous region.

The Master of Jade Pure Palace's heart was half shattered, dozens of his bones were broken, and his glabella had nearly been split open. His injuries were simply too severe.

He was currently unconscious; otherwise, he wouldn't have remained there.

In fact, along the way, Chu Feng also encountered the corpses of several land-based masters who had broken their six shackles, all slain within this very space.

Overall, both the Sea Race and the land forces suffered significant losses, with several masters from each side perishing.

Chu Feng was responsible for many of the Sea Race's casualties; he had killed quite a few!

Chu Feng broke open a stone fruit, placed a piece into the Master of Jade Pure Palace's mouth, then hoisted him onto his back and turned to leave. There was no time to spare.

Violent explosions echoed continuously from afar. The peerless woman, surrounded by swirling colorful mist, was breaking one divine golden chain after another that coiled around her body.

Above her, thunderbolts struck repeatedly, but she withstood every single one.

The lightning could not kill her!

Chu Feng glanced back, his heart filled with shock.

He saw an incredibly dense barrage of lightning, pouring down towards the gourd's opening like a furious storm, almost engulfing the woman. Yet, she remained alive, bathed in a swirling five-colored radiance, as if possessing an immortal body.

To have been suppressed for countless years and remain undying in the demon-refining grounds spoke volumes about her power.

Chu Feng dared not linger and quickly ran.

From behind, a loud explosion resounded. The green gourd was covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering completely.

"Run!"

At that moment, the Master of Jade Pure Palace regained consciousness. He looked back, his face etched with shock.

As Chu Feng escaped the space along the gourd vine, he felt the ground tremble behind him. The sound of thunder ceased as the green gourd completely shattered.

There was no need to wonder; the ancient evolver had broken free!

Chu Feng burst out of the lower space at top speed, racing through the energy tunnel and out of the small Taoist temple. "Run!" he shouted to everyone.

Instantly, the Yellow Ox, Northeast Tiger, and others ran wildly, all sprinting down Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

The other land-based powerhouses, already waiting at the base of the mountain, were also rapidly retreating.

"Escape!"

Even the ordinary enhanced humans and strange creatures realized a great catastrophe might be imminent and desperately fled.

"Let's go!"

With the Master of Jade Pure Palace on his back, Chu Feng rallied the other top kings, and they all sprinted into the distance.

Almost instantaneously, Dragon and Tiger Mountain trembled violently, as if about to be overturned. Rocks tumbled down, and the mountain itself emitted dazzling light.

A woman, still bearing divine golden chains, stepped out of the small Taoist temple. Her foot was pristine, as white as jade, exuding an ethereal aura.

"Roar..."

At that moment, the entire Dragon and Tiger Mountain trembled, accompanied by the roars of dragons and tigers. A golden mushroom cloud erupted from the summit, and a terrifying aura spread, obscuring the sky.

In the distance, Chu Feng, the Master of Jade Pure Palace, Golden-Winged Great Peng, and many other top kings looked back. Witnessing the scene, they were all awestruck, realizing that the entity on Dragon and Tiger Mountain was of an incredibly high cultivation level.

Boom!

The entire Dragon and Tiger Mountain shook and trembled, its surface began to crack, threatening to explode.

This was, after all, the ancestral court of Taoism, also known as the Taoist capital — a site of immense historical and religious significance, the very capital of a faith, now on the verge of destruction.

On the mountaintop, the golden mushroom cloud surged wildly, transforming into a dragon and a tiger that intertwined as they lunged towards the small Taoist temple, intent on suppression.

Previously, when a UFO rampaged through this area, it was instantly shredded by a similar mushroom cloud, summoned by a weapon buried beneath Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

Now, that weapon had been activated once more, aiming to suppress and kill the ancient evolver who had just emerged.

Boom!

The dragon and tiger arrived, nearing the small Taoist temple, and fiercely coiled downwards.

At that moment, the peerlessly graceful woman extended a snow-white arm from the small Taoist temple. It was whiter than frost and snow, showing no signs of having been sealed for a long time.

Accompanied by a holy glow and an auspicious aura, her flawless arm appeared, distorting the very void. She then raised her delicate wrist and lightly flicked a finger.

Her slender hand was snow-white and translucent. The instant she flicked her finger, hundreds of flowers on Dragon and Tiger Mountain burst into bloom, pushing through the remnants of ice and snow with vibrant life. Yet, the moment her finger descended, all flowers withered, and plants decayed.

In just that breath, it was as if an entire year, a passage of time, had unfolded. The scene was both sacred and profoundly terrifying.

Her slender hand rose, and with a light flick of her finger, an earth-shattering energy wave erupted. The charging dragon and tiger were astonishingly dispersed by that single, pale finger!

"How is that possible?!"

Everyone was stunned, including all the top kings, who stared wide-eyed in utter disbelief.

The dragon and tiger, formed from the golden mushroom cloud, were manifestations of the power of the mythical weapon buried beneath the mountain, and indeed, the very essence of the Taoist capital's profound heritage.

The fact that this place is named Dragon and Tiger Mountain, and what manifested was a dragon and a tiger, spoke volumes!

Yet, with a flick of her finger, a passage of time seemed to flow, and the woman, so mysterious and powerful, dispersed both the dragon and the tiger.

Next, she took another step, a slender calf occasionally glimpsed beneath her flowing skirt. Though only visible below the knee, it was flawless and as white as jade, exuding perfect beauty.

She wore no shoes; her small, perfect jade feet, when gently pressed against the mountain ground, caused the massive Dragon and Tiger Mountain to rumble and shake. Countless cracks appeared, threatening its collapse and explosion!

Finally, the mountain cracked open, revealing a weapon shrouded in sacred radiance and white mist. The mysterious artifact beneath the Taoist ancestral court had been forced out.

People watched in horror. The woman's translucent jade foot had landed gently, specifically to force out this weapon. Was she truly unafraid of being suppressed and killed?!

Everyone inevitably pondered the same question: Who was she centuries ago? How could such a powerful and peerlessly graceful woman have been suppressed?