Chapter 305: Demonic Saint's Masterpiece

A jade block, with delicate texture, also bore cracks and inexplicable marks, carrying the imprints of time.

Chu Feng was moved. This was an ancient jade, and his first thought was of the two jade pieces that contained the Flood Dragon Demonic Fist, which were somewhat similar.

Upon touching it, he found it warm and smooth, seemingly unremarkable. When held against a light source, black lines, resembling vines, could be seen inside.

Chu Feng examined it repeatedly, concluding that its jade quality was likely different from the one recording the Flood Dragon Demonic Fist. He felt a slight disappointment.

Besides the Ox Demonic Fist and Flood Dragon Demonic Fist, there were also techniques like the Roc Demonic Fist, which he greatly yearned to collect. However, he also realized it was unrealistic to expect such a coincidence on Dragon-Tiger Mountain.

He asked the Lord of Jade Void Palace about the unique properties of the jade block.

"Initially, it could suspend itself in the air and emit a faint light, but later it completely dimmed and showed no further abnormalities," the Lord of Jade Void Palace truthfully informed him.

Many people had witnessed this at the time and were astonished, but no one had been able to discover its true nature.

"Have you explored it with psychic energy?" Chu Feng asked.

"Yes, we have. There's some strange energy inside, but it can't be drawn out. It's very peculiar," the Lord of Jade Void Palace said, frowning.

"Alright, let me take a look." Chu Feng was still somewhat expectant, as this was, after all, a rare treasure brought from the ancestral temple of Taoism.

A jade block capable of suspending itself in mid-air and emitting light could not be ordinary by any measure.

"Be careful!" Lu Tong warned, advising him not to be negligent.

"What could possibly go wrong with me here?" the Lord of Jade Void Palace retorted, glancing at the old man.

Lu Tong awkwardly fell silent.

Chu Feng naturally dared not be careless; it was difficult to predict the strangeness of such ancient jade. However, since both the Lord of Jade Void Palace and the Lord of Eight Sceneries Palace had investigated it, he assumed there would be no danger.

He held the jade block in his hand, extended his psychic energy, and carefully entered the block, immediately feeling astonished. Clusters of black energy, astonishingly, took the shapes of flowers and plants, including even Bodhi trees, Fusang trees, and Osmanthus trees—none of which were ordinary tree species. Unfortunately, they were all black, identical only in shape.

Chu Feng proceeded cautiously, moving further inward, and also attempted to draw them out, but these black substances showed no unusual reactions. It wasn't until he poured a large amount of psychic energy into the jade block and sensed it carefully that he perceived a faint trace of vitality, as if a life form resided within!

This startled him. How could a mere ancient jade be like this? Chu Feng's divine sense was keener than an ordinary person's; the fusion of his physical and psychic energies seemed to nourish his divine sense, making it increasingly powerful. He was certain he had faintly perceived it.

He was about to retreat and withdraw his psychic energy. However, a shocking change occurred at that moment: the black flora within the jade block stirred, clanging, and coalesced into a black sword. In an instant, the entire interior of the jade block became very strange. It was clearly solid jade, but now it seemed to have formed an open space where psychic entities could reside, much like a palace. It was too bizarre, forming inexplicably!

Chu Feng tried to retreat, but felt a slight pain in his psyche. The black sword glowed, pointing ominously at him from a distance.

"Alas!"

A sigh resounded, making Chu Feng's hair stand on end. Even though he was present only in spirit, a chill still ran down his spine.

"Who's there?" He had a bad feeling.

Chu Feng immediately went on guard. Although it was his psychic energy, it coalesced into a human form and operated a breathing technique as if in a physical body, preparing to fight and retreat.

"Heh, we meet again." At this moment, a figure appeared on the black sword. He looked rather miserable, impaled by the sword, as if unable to break free.

"It's you!" Chu Feng was shocked, never imagining he would encounter an old acquaintance within an ancient jade.

"Heh heh, surprised?" The black sword was plunged into the person's heart, as if nailing him there. Wisps of psychic energy overflowed from the black sword, reconstructing on the figure, making him appear increasingly solid. Although an old man, he possessed the sharp aura of a lion king. His hair was curly, and his gaze was piercing, fixed intently on Chu Feng.

It was Schiller, a man who had been dead for a long time!

Schiller, known as the Last Knight, had once set up a deadly trap in the Vatican, causing an astonishing massacre that slaughtered many kings, and later organized forces for an eastward expedition. He was profoundly powerful, ruthless, and a formidable opponent who had repeatedly brought Chu Feng close to death. However, Schiller was ultimately killed on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, dying with regret.

How could anyone have expected him to reappear!

Chu Feng instantly recalled many things. During the battle on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, Schiller had picked up a strange broken sword and clashed head-on with the Vajra Girdle. The resulting dazzling light and overwhelming energy had consumed the area, and the broken sword eventually vanished. At that time, Chu Feng and his companions destroyed Schiller's physical body, searched for the sword for a long time without success, and then departed.

"Did that broken sword protect your spirit?" Chu Feng asked, trying to stabilize him first.

"Don't try to escape." Schiller looked at him calmly, as if he felt nothing despite being impaled by the black sword.

"Do you think you can keep me here?" Chu Feng said, backing away.

"You'd better not make any rash moves. Stay and talk to me for a bit, or I'll simply self-detonate. When the black substance surges, this place will be annihilated," Schiller stated coldly.

Chu Feng felt a chill. He didn't fear Schiller, as he could now contend with beings who had broken six shackles, but he was wary of the black sword. He felt a persistent unease, as if trapped in an inexplicable predicament.

"This black sword is a rare substance, arguably priceless. It's used by Divine Knights among evolvers to temper themselves. Well, by Eastern standards, a Divine Knight is equivalent to a Golden Arhat among evolvers," Schiller explained.

"What do you want to say?!" Chu Feng stared him down.

"To put it simply, this black substance is extremely rare. It was refined by a Demon Saint from the cosmos and entrusted to descendants for tempering their true bodies. However, the prerequisite is that you must be qualified to use it. If you haven't reached that level, it's a deadly poison," Schiller sighed, expressing immense regret. He ran his hand over the black sword, then looked at himself, shaking his head with a bitter smile. He had unexpectedly found the legendary substance but was unable to benefit from it.

"So, you've been harmed by it and are about to die?" Chu Feng asked, gazing at the black sword. What kind of strange substance was it?

"Yes, I don't have long to live," Schiller admitted candidly.

This black substance was very peculiar; it seemed like energy and a psychic entity, but it was actually a physical object that could merge with weapons. The owner of the broken sword was originally a powerful knight who used the black substance to temper himself, but he died in battle on Dragon-Tiger Mountain during an eastward expedition many ages ago. Schiller's spirit surged into the broken sword, allowing him to escape Chu Feng's fatal strike, but in doing so, he fell into a state of irreversible doom.

Now, he was far from being a Divine Knight, and this black substance was lethal to him, corroding him away. He couldn't escape it unless he died. He had once escaped Dragon-Tiger Mountain, hypnotized ordinary people, taken over their bodies, and allowed his spirit to inhabit them, but he found it was still useless. Under the constant tempering of the black substance, the ordinary body quickly disintegrated. Later, he seized the body of a powerful evolver, which could last a bit longer. Sadly, it would eventually disintegrate, and his spirit was also deteriorating, bound to dissipate sooner or later.

"Yes, I was the one who spread rumors about your peerless breathing technique, causing massive ripples and leading to the kings hunting you down in Jiangxi," Schiller admitted openly.

Chu Feng felt a surge of anger, wanting to kill him with a single punch. The upheaval in Jiangxi had a profound impact; he had nearly died, and the mastermind behind it was Schiller. At the time, Chu Feng had been speculating who was spreading the news, inciting people's greed to besiege and kill him.

"You're truly a persistent ghost! You nearly killed me in the Western world when you were alive, and even in death, you won't rest!"

Schiller, hearing this, corrected him: "I'm not dead yet."

"You're about to die!" Chu Feng retorted.

"Wrong, I'm about to be free. And you will take my place, entangled by the black substance," Schiller smiled.

"I don't understand, why didn't you harm the Lord of Jade Void Palace?" Chu Feng said gravely, feeling uneasy.

"Guess?" Schiller burst out laughing.

Chu Feng's expression was grim as he stared coldly at him. Although it was a psychic manifestation, it looked no different from a real person.

"Because once this substance latches onto someone, it's a never-ending struggle—either you obliterate it, or it obliterates you. I only had one chance to harm someone, and naturally, I preferred to drag you along."

"You're incredibly patient!" Chu Feng realized his own danger; he might suffer a huge setback today, perhaps even die here.

Schiller smiled and said, "Yes, I waited very patiently. I knew you would go to Dragon-Tiger Mountain, so I possessed a jade block and waited calmly, while also calculating how much longer I could exist. When I saw the Lord of Jade Void Palace arrive, I knew I could first fall into his hands and then make contact with you."

"You hate me that much, huh?" Chu Feng stepped back.

"Indeed. If it weren't for you, my Myriad Spirit Blood Elixir would have matured. By now, I would have been a master who had broken seven shackles, becoming the paramount expert on land. Then, all the sacred fruits from famous mountains and great rivers across the lands would be mine for the taking. Who could contend with me? You severed my path to divinity." Schiller spoke calmly, but clearly with resentment.

"My spirit has been corroded beyond repair; I'm about to die. It's truly a pleasure to see you."

"Does the Lord of Jade Void Palace know you're in the jade?" Chu Feng asked.

"With his shrewdness and power, he must have sensed something," Schiller said with a smile.

"Even at death's door, you're still trying to sow discord?" Chu Feng said coldly.

"Heh heh, it's genuinely delightful to see you before I die. I'm about to be free. Farewell. The upcoming suffering will be yours to bear."

Schiller burst into laughter, incinerating himself, determined to destroy his corrupted, unrecognizable spirit. Simultaneously, Chu Feng roared, rapidly retreating, trying to tear open the strange space.

"It's no use. After I die, all the black substance will entangle you," Schiller said with a smile, then exploded with a bang.

At the same moment, the sword transformed into black substance, spreading in all directions, reaching Chu Feng and coiling around him.

"Unless a Bodhisattva-level evolver appears, only a being of that caliber can purify you. Otherwise, enjoy it. This stuff is precious, priceless—the work of a Demon Saint. Only they can refine it..."

Schiller's lingering spiritual fragment finally vanished, his last words like a devil's murmur.