Chapter 302: Ice Age

Who could suppress her? Judging by her current ethereal and transcendent display, her status in ancient times must have been extraordinary, and her power immense. What was her identity centuries ago?

Longhu Mountain, the ancestral home of Taoism, holds too many secrets. Some say it's adjacent to the Celestial Court, from where one can ascend to heaven.

Others claim it is a mythical capital in itself; stepping inside, one can find the divine or even encounter living ancient evolvers.

Longhu Mountain split open, and a mystical artifact, shrouded in hazy white mist, emanated energy that made all living beings tremble. It spewed out mushroom clouds, one after another, rushing towards the small Taoist temple.

Both Chu Feng and the other experts present felt their hearts tremble. What kind of immense power was this?

They knew clearly how terrifying a single mushroom cloud could be; it could easily devastate an area, extinguishing all life, making it even more terrifying than a nuclear weapon.

Yet now, it released them in such abundance, one after another; it was simply horrifying.

It was merely a cold weapon; how could it emit mushroom clouds like a nuclear weapon? If compared, how much nuclear energy would that represent? If it truly erupted, it would surely decimate the current world.

Never before had there been a moment that made everyone feel so insignificant; this ancient artifact was capable of destroying the world!

Was this the method of evolvers? That a cold weapon, made to "grow" through inexplicable means in their hands, could become terrifying to such an extent?

The woman was transcendent and ethereal; her robes fluttered and rustled within the golden mushroom clouds. Her arm, fair and translucent like a lotus root, reached out, and with a gentle point of her bare hand, golden lotuses bloomed across the sky, taking root in the void.

Throughout Longhu Mountain, faint sounds emerged, like demonic saints chanting scriptures or ancient people praying, spanning time and space, traversing the ancient lands, and circulating among the contemporary world.

It is said that Buddhas save all sentient beings, but now everyone felt that the supremely graceful woman seemed even more capable of purifying the world, making everyone want to yield their hearts to her.

With a single point of her finger, golden lotuses bloomed in the void, then transformed into three thousand golden characters, ancient symbols appearing as if cast from metal, radiating brilliance and enveloping the shattered Longhu Mountain.

The symbols contracted, and the chanting and praying sounds grew even more sacred, aiming to bind the artifact.

The countless golden mushroom clouds shrank. As her lotus-like arm lifted, they seemed illusory in her bare hand, not exploding. A slender, fair finger gently pressed against Longhu Mountain's ancient artifact.

All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, like dew and like lightning. They should be regarded as such.

At this moment, everyone felt it was unreal.

"Run!"

"Run!" shouted the yellow ox. Even it was terrified, unsure of the woman's origin or how powerful she was, only feeling that she was unfathomable and that they had to leave quickly.

In fact, everyone merely looked back as they fled; no one dared to stop now, scrambling in all directions.

No one knew the outcome; everyone had escaped.

Chu Feng placed the yellow ox and the others into the Jade Vase, then ran three thousand kilometers in one breath, only stopping when he was far from Jiangxi.

After waiting for some time, some experts who had broken free from the six shackles gradually caught up.

"Thank you, Brother Chu Feng!" said the Mastiff King, clasping his fists. In his human form, he was a middle-aged man with thick black hair, sharp eyes, and still an imposing presence.

But upon closer inspection, he looked mentally exhausted; the journey to Longhu Mountain had been a close call for him, full of peril.

If not for Chu Feng, he would surely have died there.

"No need to be polite, Mastiff King," Chu Feng said with a slight smile. "You've often looked out for me in the past, so this time, it was only right."

"Great kindness needs no words of thanks," said the Golden-winged Great Peng as it landed, its entire body golden, and nodded to Chu Feng.

It felt a touch of emotion, recalling how, not long ago, it had surveyed the world, dominating both East and West, rarely encountering a match. It never expected to be ambushed by the sea race this time and nearly die.

Fortunately, Chu Feng came to its aid; otherwise, it would have been in grave danger. And this young man, whose strength was far inferior to its own not long ago, had risen with astonishing speed.

A group of people stepped forward, all expressing their gratitude to Chu Feng, acknowledging that the situation at Longhu Mountain this time had truly been too perilous.

The Master of Jade Pure Palace had a complicated expression. He was being carried on the back of the Master of Eight Views Palace; his heart was severely damaged, and even after consuming the Monster Refining Fruit, he couldn't fully recover.

Among everyone present, his injuries were the most severe, and he had almost died.

He patted Chu Feng's shoulder and sighed, "I am in my prime, but seeing you, I suddenly feel old."

At this moment, he appeared somewhat forlorn and slightly dejected. The journey to Longhu Mountain had been a significant blow to him.

The three Palace Masters were known as three peerless experts; one or two of them alone would be enough to rank among the top ten experts on the Eastern continent, yet they had almost been annihilated.

Chu Feng comforted them, "Palace Master, you were just careless and fell into an ambush, attacked by the sea race with powerful weapons. Otherwise, which of you present isn't a dominant figure? If it came to a true decisive battle, one person would be enough to slay multiple sea race experts."

Those who survived were all top-tier kings. Some powerful individuals from the land died in that space, their names unknown.

The world is vast, with many famous mountains. Many beings have quietly risen, yet remain nameless. The death of some formidable individuals who had broken free from the six shackles at Longhu Mountain was a considerable blow to the East.

"Who exactly leaked the information and sided with the sea race?" Chu Feng brought up the old matter again, and this was also what everyone wanted to clarify.

Unfortunately, after careful thought, there were still no answers, though a few suspected individuals had all died in that space.

"Farewell, everyone. We shall meet again someday!" The two Palace Masters of the Mount Shu Sword Palace were the first to bid farewell. Before leaving, they invited Chu Feng to visit the Shu region to practice sword manipulation skills when he had free time.

The Mountain Tortoise of Mount Kongtong apologized to everyone. Its shell bore golden Eight Trigrams patterns, and its divine perception was frighteningly keen, yet it had stumbled this time.

The old tortoise admitted it had sensed something earlier but had been negligent.

The dominant figures from various factions set off one after another, all with complicated feelings. This journey to the Taoist capital had given them a profound lesson!

Now, they wanted to return, recuperate, and reflect calmly, because the impact of this incident was too significant.

Would the sea race launch a major attack next? After all, they had ultimately failed and suffered heavy losses.

Would that mysterious woman emerge from Longhu Mountain? This question was even more unsettling. With her strength, she could surely walk proudly through the world; who could stop her?

When considering these questions, everyone felt overwhelmed!

The group dispersed.

News of the battle at Longhu Mountain spread instantly, shaking the world.

Not only was the East profoundly shaken, but it also caused a huge sensation in the West.

Within the mysterious space, sea and land experts battled fiercely; kings were ambushed, blood stained the sacred land, the Sea God Tiger was invincible, pursuing the heroes, and then Chu Feng appeared…

Any one of these events was explosive news, causing an uproar across the world.

"Boss rose in this battle and established his position," sighed Ouyang Qing, "Wind-Hearing Ear."

Not only were he and Ye Qingrou marveling, but others were also discussing it.

Achieved god-like status in one battle!

In this battle at Longhu Mountain, Chu Feng arrived at the critical moment, slaughtering a host of sea race experts, killing the Octopus King, and pursuing the Sea God Tiger. His achievements were too dazzling.

"After this battle, he has truly soared to the sky, looking down on all sides," sighed Bear Kun, Hu Sheng, and other young non-humans.

Chu Feng's strength was too astonishing; in one battle, he decimated enemies from all directions and rescued the trapped experts. His power was extraordinary.

Earlier, some said Chu Feng could be ranked among the top ten experts, but many were unconvinced, feeling he was overrated, a mere imposter.

But now, no one dared to question it; these were achievements earned through battle.

Some even said he could likely stand alongside the Old Lama and a few others, perhaps even contending for the position of the foremost expert on the land.

Many firmly believed that as long as Chu Feng could successfully break the sixth shackles, the throne of the foremost expert on the Eastern continent would surely be his.

In Shuntian, Xia Qianyu was on the phone with Jiang Luoshen, saying, "Luoshen, I feel like Chu Feng has become god-like, practically invincible. Is it true?"

"What, do you regret rejecting him during the blind date?"

"What blind date? It was clearly a series of misunderstandings, okay? Oh, by the way, I heard he attacked the Tonggu Alliance and broke through the extraterrestrial civilization research facility, but spared Bodhi Gene because of you. Rumor has it you two spent the night together. Is that true? Tell me, what was it like?"

"Xia Qianyu, if you say another word, I'm done with you!"

"Sister, this brother-in-law's reputation is too great; that's not necessarily a good thing. He's quite the playboy, you know," White Tiger muttered.

Lu Shiyun simply rolled her eyes and ignored him.

The major financial groups all quieted down, and non-humans hostile to Chu Feng became silent. The battle at Longhu Mountain shook the world, and forces from all sides trembled.

By now, who would still be so foolish? All relevant parties were afraid, fearing Chu Feng would come knocking on their doors.

"It's snowing. Not just on the famous mountains, but everywhere."

Chu Feng looked up at the sky. It was hazy and thick with mist, the sun obscured. Snowflakes began to fall, not heavily at first, but as time passed, the ground became a blanket of white.

Accurate news arrived: the sea race had hastily retreated because news from the ocean reported that Sea God Fruits had matured, Dragon Transformation Fruits were fragrant, and a mysterious sea eye was shimmering with vibrant colors…

Simultaneously, snow began to fall heavily over the ocean, so much so that it seemed as if the sea surface would freeze solid!

The ocean was their foundation, so after those sea race experts received the news, they abandoned everything and rushed back, feeling nervous, even terrified.

The world had changed. This time, the changes were more drastic in the ocean than on land, with various signs appearing first.

A day later, world-shaking news arrived: the oceans were frozen, all sea areas a vast expanse of white, with raging blizzards!

In this severe weather, the sea race sank deep underwater, completely disappearing and temporarily cutting off contact with the outside world.

Meanwhile, snow was falling across the land, in both East and West, growing heavier and heavier and clothing the entire landscape in a silver mantle.

At first, people found it novel, especially in the southern regions, where many had never seen such heavy snow and were greatly surprised.

After one night, everyone's sense of novelty vanished. Heavy snow blocked roads, the world was a vast expanse of white, and it plunged into an atmosphere of terror.

People panicked. Across the world, there was no clear sky; all were in a world of ice and snow.

"This isn't scientific! How can it be snowing worldwide?!" someone cried out in fear.

But this world had long ceased to be scientific. Since the cosmic changes, many principles and events had been overturned. All signs indicated that this was no longer the Earth they understood.

"Could a great catastrophe before a great prosperity be arriving unexpectedly?!"

When ice and snow covered mountains and rivers, reaching a depth of over a person's height, people everywhere fell into complete panic.

In just one or two days, many people had already frozen to death.

Now, it was impossible for the sea race to come to land; such icy conditions were entirely unsuitable for their survival, and the whole world plunged into semi-despair.

The oceans were frozen for thousands of miles.

On land, the cold was bone-chilling, and blizzards howled.

Everything had happened too suddenly!

"The Ice Age has arrived!" someone lamented.

"This will be the most severe biological catastrophe in history!" some biologists lamented.

When accumulated snow submerged houses, everyone despaired, and now, no one knew how many people had died.