Chapter 319: Return Home

The sound of the scriptures stirred Chu Feng's soul. What he most desired on his current path of evolution was, without a doubt, a top-tier breathing technique!

This was crucial for his future, as Earth was in decline and had few ancient inheritances. Compared to other worlds with astonishing energy levels, this place could only be considered a wasteland.

To compete with beings from other domains, the techniques currently available on Earth were simply inadequate!

Ahead, on the nearly decayed Bodhi tree, some scripture cylinders appeared, holding ancient scrolls. As they gently swayed, waves of Zen chanting resonated.

Chu Feng cast aside all distracting thoughts, ignoring other scriptures and focusing solely on one particular sound, which he believed might be the Grand Thunderclap Breathing Technique!

His heart pounded, and his body became rigidly straight. As he tried to grasp the essence of the scriptures, his entire being, every limb and bone, resonated, emitting thunderous sounds.

The Bodhi tree was highly mysterious. In ancient times, it had been a tree of enlightenment. After its death, someone had reversed its properties, making it capable of harming one's cultivation. Yet, it still bore scripture cylinders that could transmit techniques, which was somewhat eerie.

This was somewhat eerie.

Chu Feng disregarded everything else, focusing intently on memorizing it. The initial technique was similar to what he had acquired from the Grand Thunderclap Bow; it had to be that supreme inheritance!

As he did so, Chu Feng's body and spirit began to merge.

Having previously practiced a partial version of the Grand Thunderclap Breathing Technique, activating it now felt completely smooth. The blood in his body surged and receded with the sound of the scriptures.

However, he also noticed a problem: the scripture cylinder on the withered Bodhi tree that emitted the Grand Thunderclap Breathing Technique was tattered, revealing its contents. Half of the scroll inside had been torn off.

This made his heart sink, but he couldn't dwell on it now. He could only focus on memorizing what was currently available.

Currently, Earth possessed only a few crude and pitifully scarce techniques.

In higher-level worlds, every lineage possessed multiple breathing techniques. Combining their practice offered immense benefits, as core disciples would master several methods to significantly enhance their evolutionary efficiency.

The legendary Grand Thunderclap Breathing Technique resonated, and Chu Feng couldn't help but feel excited. This technique had such a terrifyingly significant origin, even in other domains.

If he mastered this technique and combined its practice with the methods the Yellow Ox had taught him, the benefits would be truly immense!

However, while he practiced the breathing technique, a substance within his body grew increasingly erratic. Black and white flashed continuously at an alarming frequency.

Chu Feng himself was startled, sensing that something was amiss.

When the black substance appeared, his energy was suppressed to its extreme, having already fallen out of the King Realm and plummeting directly towards the lowest tier of evolution, causing him great concern.

Conversely, when the silvery-white substance emerged, the energy within him reached its peak, almost tearing open the sixth restraint and pushing him towards another evolution. His blood coursed like thunder, and his heart beat like a drum, deep and astonishing.

The black substance seemed to pound his internal energy, wanting to suppress it to its lowest point and completely obliterate it, while the white substance helped him recover.

Not long after, the sound of the scriptures weakened, and the scroll in the tattered cylinder reached its last page.

Chu Feng felt unsatisfied, as if something was still missing. He wished he could climb the tree, take down the cylinder, and examine it closely.

He stood still for a moment, then looked back at the Yellow Ox, the old lama, and the others, who were still unconscious. This made him frown, wondering how he could awaken them.

He looked up at the Bodhi tree, certain that everything was connected to it. How could he break this spell?

Chu Feng was certain that if he hadn't seen the condition of the Yellow Ox, the old lama, and the others upon his arrival, which had alerted him, he might have also fallen into a deep slumber and remained unable to wake up.

It was because of that early warning and his awakened caution that he was able to quickly escape the predicament.

"Since everything is connected to the Bodhi tree," he thought, "perhaps if I shake it, I can change the current situation!"

Chu Feng decided to take the risk and walked forward, his body trembling violently with each step. He continuously carved tadpole-like symbols on the ground, all related to the field, to alleviate the immense pressure.

This was because, beneath the Bodhi tree, two figures emitted an aura so terrifying that it caused the void to crack open and remain unable to close, creating a truly horrifying sight.

During this process, the circulation of the black and white substances within Chu Feng's body became even more alarming.

Eventually, black and white intertwined, and his body gradually turned gray, appearing as if it had always been a nebulous, unchanging gray, with a strange mist permeating from his pores.

Chu Feng managed to get closer, but he suffered severe injuries, his entire body covered in cracks, nearly exploding on the spot.

This was because the two figures beneath the tree were so immensely powerful that the wisps of aura emanating from them were enough to shatter the ten-li Buddhist Pure Land, making it suffocating.

Chu Feng carved dense symbols on the ground to neutralize the oppressive aura, but he was still injured, gasping for breath, with blood seeping from the cracks on his body.

He had never experienced anything like this—being injured not in combat, but simply by the oppressive aura of certain beings to such an extent was truly unprecedented and terrifying.

"Breaking through the restraints seems utterly insufficient," he sighed.

Soon, goosebumps appeared all over his body as the Bodhisattva and Demon Saint began to change.

The two powerful beings, originally lifelike, eventually melted and disintegrated, losing their human forms and completely vanishing.

Even their gleaming armor and sharp battle spears followed suit, turning into specks of light and dissolving into nothingness.

In their place, beneath the Bodhi tree, were only two drops of blood. They were not vibrant, lacked luster, and appeared amidst the soil and stones. Although not dried up, they lacked vitality.

Chu Feng was truly shocked. Could everything have been caused by just two drops of blood?

He looked up, wondering if the Bodhisattva and Demon Saint he had just witnessed were merely manifestations of these two drops of blood.

How strong were beings of that level? Chu Feng's heart pounded. Just two dull drops of blood could possess such power; it was truly astonishing.

Two drops of residual blood had covered his body with dense cracks; if their true forms had descended, it would be simply unimaginable.

Chu Feng moved, gently shaking a withered Bodhi branch that hung close by. He didn't dare use his flying sword or the Vajra Loop, as he didn't know if damaging the Bodhi tree would bring unpredictable consequences.

He remembered that his own consciousness had previously been swallowed by a vortex of Buddhist light from the Bodhi tree. He worried that the consciousnesses of the Yellow Ox and the others might also be trapped within this withered tree.

Yet, even as he gently shook the withered branch, a sound of decay still emanated, and some twigs broke off; it was simply too fragile.

At this point, all the scriptures on the ancient tree had disappeared.

Chu Feng turned back to observe the reactions of the Kunlun great demons, but there was still no movement.

Gritting his teeth, he moved forward, developing even more cracks on his body. He circled around the two drops of blood to the other side of the main trunk and began to pound the tree, which was so thick that six or seven people couldn't encircle it.

Thump, thump, thump...

Old bark flaked off, and the giant tree trembled slightly.

Chu Feng's body was in excruciating pain. As his suppressed body sustained injuries, the black and white substances circulated even more frantically, causing his cultivation to fluctuate terrifyingly. One moment he felt he was about to tear open the sixth restraint, and the next he was on the verge of becoming an ordinary person.

"Father, Grandfather, don't die!"

Suddenly, Chu Feng heard the Yellow Ox's cries. It was murmuring in its sleep, having a nightmare!

"I don't want to embark on that path, I don't want such an opportunity!" the Yellow Ox mumbled. "I just want you all to live! I can also become a saint and an ancestor in this world, finding a way for my kin to survive!"

The Yellow Ox's face was covered in tears. It had transformed into the appearance of a small boy, half-awake, with its eyes closed, crying mournfully.

Chu Feng was stunned. The seemingly innocent Yellow Ox actually harbored such secrets in its heart. What had happened to its kin? It seemed as though they faced the threat of annihilation, and the Yellow Ox needed to find a way for them to survive.

Chu Feng understood that the Yellow Ox was deeply saddened, lost within a sorrowful dreamscape. It possessed secrets unknown to outsiders, and these were its "weakness."

Finally, the Yellow Ox abruptly sat up, opened its eyes, quickly wiped away its tears, and looked around repeatedly.

"Chu Feng?!" Its small face was filled with surprise.

Chu Feng smiled at it, not mentioning its tears. He knew it likely preferred to keep such matters private, so for now, he would pretend not to know. If he could help in the future, he would do his utmost.

He continued to pound the Bodhi tree. Soon, the old lama sat up, also awakened. Though his eyes were dim and he had no energy within his body, it was clear that the old lama had solidified a certain belief, and his entire demeanor was completely different.

The webbing between Chu Feng's thumbs and forefingers had already completely split open, and his body was covered in countless wounds. Suppressed by the two drops of blood, his form was on the verge of complete disintegration.

"Chu Feng, come back quickly, don't continue!" the Yellow Ox called out.

The old lama also chanted Buddhist names, urging Chu Feng to return, stating that he definitely couldn't continue in his current state and would surely die if he persisted.

Chu Feng shakily got to his feet and stumbled back along the same path. He wanted to save them, but he also didn't want to die here; he had already done his best.

Now, the cracks on his body were terrifying, with bones visible through the gaps, and his entire body was on the verge of falling apart.

This place was too terrifying. Not even the Mastiff King had awakened, and the old lion, proclaimed invincible, remained motionless. In the end, only the Yellow Ox and the old lama had revived.

The moment Chu Feng returned, he could no longer hold on. He collapsed to the ground, blood gushing out and staining the earth.

"This tree cannot be rashly disturbed, nor can they be taken away," the old lama said. "We can only hope that one day they will awaken on their own, or that we return here to awaken them when we are stronger."

The Yellow Ox nodded, agreeing with this choice, as the place was far too dangerous for them in their current state.

Consequently, the Yellow Ox and the old lama's energy had completely faded away; they were now completely empty, like mere mortals.

This place corrupted one's cultivation!

The Bodhi tree had been reversed by someone, producing the opposite effect: instead of helping people achieve enlightenment, it severed their very foundation.

"Next time, I'll come back to save you," Chu Feng said weakly, his condition extremely poor.

"What's going on? A temple is appearing!" the Yellow Ox exclaimed in surprise. Behind the Bodhi tree, a magnificent temple had appeared, emitting boundless Buddhist light.

It appeared silently. In front of the temple, numerous scripture cylinders were lined up, holding scroll after scroll of scriptures.

Chu Feng's pupils contracted. He saw a unique scripture cylinder, carved from stone, which was so special he couldn't tear his gaze away.

"Let's go!" the old lama said with firm resolve. He took one look and then lowered his head, no longer gazing at it.

The Yellow Ox also sighed softly. It was a huge, yet deadly, temptation; in their current state, going forward would surely mean death.

Chu Feng said nothing, only looking back repeatedly.

Finally, the old lama and the Yellow Ox carved a message on the ground. Then, supporting Chu Feng, they walked back along the original path.

Equipped with Buddhist artifacts, they managed to leave the ten-li pure land with some alarm but no real danger. Pushing open the mottled Bodhi wooden door, which was covered in bronze, they finally exited the ancient temple.

"Finally out!"

The Snow Leopard King was frantic, pacing restlessly.

"How much time has passed?" Chu Feng asked, noticing that the sun was out and the ice and snow had stopped, indicating that a considerable amount of time had passed.

"Nine days have passed," the Snow Leopard King informed him.

During these nine days, various major events had occurred in the outside world.

"The Sea Race is holding a grand gathering and has sent invitations to all the powerful beings on land."

This first piece of news deeply surprised Chu Feng and the others, as he too was among those invited.