Chapter 356: Born a Prisoner

A warmth spread through Chu Feng’s body. He was certain this golden fruit could promote human evolution and help break the sixth set of shackles. His physique was strengthening, cellular activity surged, and his entire body felt hot. He could feel the changes without even deliberately trying to break through. At this rate, he was definitely going to break through! This was an invaluable fruit, capable of causing a drastic transformation.

Chu Feng ate the last piece of golden pulp. All the juice and other components were absorbed by his body, his pores glowed brightly, and his physique continuously improved.

To others, the remaining fruit on the tree would be a treasure, but Chu Feng casually plucked it and tossed it to the toad. The toad was stunned, fumbling to catch the exceptionally fragrant fruit, almost dropping it.

“For me?” it asked, squinting, a hint of disbelief in its voice.

“If you don’t want it, give it back,” Chu Feng replied.

“Chomp!”

Without a word, the toad immediately took a bite, making it a fait accompli. Golden juice flowed from its mouth as it devoured more than half the fruit in one go.

“Delicious, truly delicious!” The toad’s eyes glazed over as it frantically devoured the fruit. The aroma permeated its bones, leaving it utterly intoxicated.

Chu Feng had no regrets. Since he intended to be a “Divine Knight,” he naturally couldn’t neglect this divine beast. If it could grow quickly, it would be a tremendous help to him. The prerequisite was his self-confidence in being able to consistently suppress this mysterious divine beast cub.

Chu Feng was confident that this golden fruit could aid his evolution and allow him to break the six sets of shackles, but it wouldn’t be effective for higher levels; one was sufficient. However, he didn’t dare violently tear through the shackles. Instead, he allowed his body to evolve slowly, letting time take its course until it happened naturally. This was mainly because the small millstone within him was enveloped by a placenta-like substance and was currently in a state of calm. He didn’t want his vital energy to surge, causing turmoil within his body and disrupting this peace. As long as he could break through, what did a few extra days matter?

At the same time, he also wanted to observe the subtle intricacies of the body’s slow evolution and gradual physical enhancement, hoping to gain some insights. Perhaps he would be enlightened, and next time he might break the shackles relying solely on himself, without needing fruits!

“Oh... this is wonderful! I feel stronger!” The toad exclaimed joyfully, hopping around and croaking incessantly, eventually performing several front flips.

“Which set of shackles did you break?” Chu Feng asked it.

“Shackles? What are those?” The toad looked puzzled.

“You don’t have shackles?!” Chu Feng’s pupils widened, then constricted.

The toad, confused, said, “I don’t understand what you’re saying. To become powerful, isn’t it just about evolving your physique and accumulating energy?”

Chu Feng’s mind was unsettled. He had heard from the yellow ox that in this vast universe, a very few races were naturally powerful. As long as they survived, they were destined to stir up great events. This was because they were extraordinary, exhibiting various exceptional traits. For instance, when they were born, they had no internal shackles. By simply activating their energy and growing normally, they could evolve, gradually surpassing the shackle realm. However, only a tiny number of races were like this, such as the White Qilin or the Phoenix that emerged from fire – these were heaven-defying races.

The toad scratched its head, as if remembering something. “Oh, you mean shackles? I vaguely recall hearing someone say that’s a necessary process for lower-tier races to evolve upwards.”

Its tone and demeanor made Chu Feng want to punch it. “What do you mean, ‘lower-tier races’?!” At the same time, Chu Feng realized that the person who had told the toad this must have been an evolutionist speaking to the toad’s original divine egg during the ancient times, when Earth had not yet completely declined, perhaps during the Feng Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai.

The toad declared proudly, “In this world, there are a few individual races that don’t need to break any shackles at all because they are born with their entire bodies unhindered. They are not prisoners and don’t need to overcome such obstacles.” Then, it thumped its chest, acting smug, not forgetting to look disdainfully at Chu Feng. “People like you are born prisoners. Every step forward requires a great price to break free from your cages.”

The toad was truly asking for a beating, utterly conceited. Chu Feng, however, had to ponder deeply: Born as prisoners? Only by slowly breaking free could they reach the same starting line as the top-tier races?

The toad puffed out its belly and said, “No choice, it’s talent. We’re born strong. As for you, every step is stained with blood. The path ahead for beings like you is full of thorns, extremely difficult. You have to cultivate diligently in every realm and pass through life-and-death trials.”

“Spit out that golden fruit!” Chu Feng said, his face dark. Seeing its smugness, it truly deserved a beating. He then took action, giving it a severe beating until the toad was bruised and swollen, making it angrily want to slam its head on the ground.

“Damn it, is there any justice?! I’m a divine beast, getting battered by a mere mortal. Every day, he just beats me if he’s annoyed. This is outrageous!” The toad had just thought that after eating the strange fruit, its strength had increased enough to contend with Chu Feng, or even take revenge. Little did it expect, the gap remained; it hadn’t narrowed at all. This was because Chu Feng had also eaten a fruit, and although he hadn’t completely broken the sixth set of shackles, various benefits had already manifested.

“Blast it, why can’t I beat him? His path to evolution is rougher than mine, not as smooth, so how is his combat strength greater?!” The toad was indignant.

“Still not convinced?!” Chu Feng glared at it.

As a result, another severe beating sent the toad flying back and forth, like a sandbag, screaming continuously, its two eyes black and swollen like a panda’s dark circles.

“I give up, I give up!” it shrieked.

When Chu Feng stopped, it squatted aside, drawing circles on the ground. “He’s a freak! How can a lowly prisoner suppress the highest bloodline?!” It mumbled to itself, almost losing confidence from the beatings. It had always believed that given the same opportunity, its combat strength would increase far more than Chu Feng’s. Now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all; it had encountered a monster.

“Sigh, have I encountered a legend?” It grew suspicious.

“What legend? What are you muttering about?” Chu Feng asked.

Despite its annoyance, the toad still recounted some old stories, vaguely mentioned by an old Taoist priest during ancient times when it was still a divine egg. Certain races born without shackles were naturally considered “races of heaven,” favored by the heavens. However, lower-tier races weren’t without opportunities. It was rumored that some of the lowest-ranked races, even those with the poorest bloodlines, despite facing difficult evolution and rough paths, could still progress steadily, step by step. What was most terrifying was that such beings, who rose from the lowest-tier races, had incredibly solid foundations in every realm. This also meant that such beings could contend with any sacred bloodline and challenge the “races of heaven.” Moreover, once they reached later stages of cultivation, they would become even more terrifying!

“Looking at you, you shouldn’t be that kind of monster. You lack the aura of a ‘saint-slayer,’ so you’re just moderately good,” the toad commented.

“You know nothing!” Chu Feng retorted, delivering another severe beating.

“Damn it, how can I not know? The old Taoist priest commented on it. I remember clearly; according to some of his standards, you don’t reach that level. You can only be considered ‘barely acceptable’!” The toad fumed. In the end, it didn’t give in and remained quite serious.

This surprised Chu Feng. The aura of a “saint-slayer”? How monstrous was that!

“Oh no, it’s burning!” the toad shrieked.

After they had equally divided and consumed the two golden fruits, the three-foot-tall golden sapling slowly began to burn, disintegrating into a pile of ashes on the ground!

“What a pity!” Chu Feng sighed. Then, he instructed the toad to bring over the black, humanoid ashes of Li Xinghe, Yu Hanzhi, and Liu Wucheng that were on the ground and place them near the sapling’s ashes.

“Why do I always have to do these disgusting chores? So gross.” The toad pinched its nose as it carried out the task. At the very end, it hesitated. The Bird King hadn’t been burned yet, its body still intact. Should it roast and eat it? Clearly, it had also been influenced by Chu Feng’s gourmand tendencies.

“Never mind. We can’t delay too long. Just burn it,” Chu Feng said, shaking his head.

A burst of solar essence fire emerged, reducing the Bird King, Cai Ying, to ashes.

“Alright, now it’s your turn for some physical suffering,” Chu Feng said.

“You... what do you want to do?!” The toad was terrified.

Finally, it shrieked, its skin blackened by the flames, emitting a burnt smell. It looked severely injured, but it was actually just superficial.

“Damn it, why didn’t you just kill that little girl outside? Killing her would be the easiest way to silence her. Why burn me? This isn’t necessary at all!” The toad glared angrily.

“What do you know? The Yuan Magnetic Immortal Cave connection cannot be broken. We need to maintain a good cooperative relationship. If they all die, who will I find?”

Watching Chu Feng speak so righteously, the toad’s teeth itched with irritation. “Shameless! You clearly want to wipe out the entire Yuan Magnetic Immortal Cave, yet you speak with such moral integrity.”

“Cooperation, understand?!” Chu Feng corrected.

Toad: “####...”

For Chu Feng, this connection truly couldn’t be severed. Those people knew about the ancient Divine Khan’s tomb, understood some of Earth’s ancient inheritances, and could even pinpoint their locations. In short, these people knew too much and were worth exploiting for information.

“Ah...” Xu Mei shrieked in disbelief. Seeing a weary Chu Feng, a half-burned toad, and several piles of ashes on the ground, she nearly fainted. Her face turned pale. It was hard to believe that in just a moment, they had almost been wiped out; all her friends were dead!

Chu Feng said, “Let’s go, leave here. We can’t stay long, or we’ll all die here. The Divine Khan’s tomb is currently beyond our reach.” Indeed, that was true. The coffin suspended in the distance, along with the meteorites orbiting it, gave Chu Feng an extremely bad feeling. That area clearly had a domain, with field symbols densely spread throughout the void. Chu Feng, in his current state, couldn’t contend with it.

Xu Mei trembled mentally and physically, her face pale. Looking at the humanoid ashes on the ground, she was terrified and frightened, and she immediately followed Chu Feng’s suggestion to leave the underground area. Moreover, to maintain appearances, Chu Feng secretly activated the ancient domain here, creating an an astonishing and earth-shattering scene.

As they ran dozens of miles away, nine golden suns rose from underground behind them, illuminating the entire prairie. Then, the cries of golden crows echoed, flying across the sky. That sight was visible from hundreds of miles away, utterly shocking.

“What was that? Are there really suns... golden crows underground?!” Xu Mei’s voice trembled, fear still lingering long after the event.

Chu Feng explained, “There are definitely no suns underground, but there’s a terrifying terrain that gathers a massive amount of solar essence fire, creating that bizarre phenomenon. As for golden crows, it’s hard to say; there might truly be a nest or even eggs there.”

Ultimately, after Xu Mei reported to someone, she decided to leave. Xu Mei’s next destination was not the Yuan Magnetic Immortal Cave but the Qinling Mountains. This greatly disappointed Chu Feng, as he had always wanted to visit that place in the Arctic, a wish that now seemed to be in vain.

“I have an elder in the Qinling Mountains who wants us to go there. There’s an amazing discovery that might involve an ultimate, supreme technique!” Xu Mei said excitedly, immediately forgetting the trauma of the prairie. Perhaps her relationship with the deceased individuals wasn’t as deep as imagined. Xu Mei was lively and dynamic, and also very attractive. Her short T-shirt revealed a section of her fair midriff, and her face was delicate and alluring.

In the end, she and Chu Feng headed south towards the Qinling Mountains. They arrived a day later. Without the Bird King, their travel was slower, mainly because Chu Feng didn’t want to expose himself.

Upon reaching the Qinling Mountains, Chu Feng learned that the Pre-Qin Research Institute was involved this time, along with an alien who had arrived twenty-two years ago.

“Well, the golden strange fruit was equally divided and eaten by the toad and me. This time, I’ve come to the Qinling Mountains to collect strange fruits for the yellow ox and Big Black, to help them become peerless masters!” Chu Feng secretly decided.

Upon learning of Chu Feng’s arrival, the Pre-Qin Research Institute and others breathed a sigh of relief, planning to ask him for significant help.