Chapter 38: 異樹

White Snake Ridge was heavily guarded, with extraordinary beings stationed along every essential path. It was clear the miraculous small tree was inside, and Godly Biology was exceptionally anxious about it, fearing any mishaps.

"I'll climb the cliff; I refuse to believe I can't get in," Chu Feng declared, glancing back at the yellow ox as if asking, "Can you manage?"

The yellow ox, full of pride, stood upright and performed a set of punches. Its movements were not only powerful and dynamic but also remarkably agile and ethereal.

They moved stealthily, hugging the trees, until they reached a sheer cliff. With Chu Feng's current abilities, climbing it would pose no problem.

Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Even ordinary extraordinary beings could climb this. Godly Biology must have defenses in place, so this spot might actually be more dangerous."

After halting, he carefully examined the steep, barren cliff face. Not a single blade of grass grew there, as the entire brown mountain was composed of rock.

Chu Feng was startled when he noticed something amiss.

"How ruthless!"

He noticed cracks on the cliff face and signs of damage on the mountain, which, despite being concealed, were discernible upon closer inspection.

"This place was once bombarded with rocket launchers!"

He even spotted a small, dried, black-red bloodstain on the perilous mountain wall, revealing a past incident. An extraordinary being had attempted to climb this cliff, only to be struck by thermal weapons!

Chu Feng and the yellow ox retreated. While it might not have been enough to kill him, it was unwise to alert their enemies now and unnecessarily invite trouble.

White Snake Ridge was vast, and he doubted there was no other way in. If Godly Biology truly intended to seal it off completely, how many extraordinary beings and thermal weapons would they need?

Along the way, he saw over a dozen groups of extraordinary beings, all hidden and attempting to approach the depths of White Snake Ridge.

Chu Feng estimated that, even conservatively, over a hundred extraordinary beings were in the area, turning it into a dangerous vortex of conflict. Once the fuse was lit, a major battle was inevitable!

Evidence of fierce struggle was visible on some peaks and at valley entrances, where bloodstains, broken horns, and silver scales — all belonging to extraordinary beings — were scattered.

"Intense battles have taken place here. It seems this area is far from peaceful."

This was just the beginning. When the fruit fully matured, the fighting would undoubtedly become even more brutal. Chu Feng sighed, realizing that rising through the ranks of these extraordinary beings to claim the rare fruit for himself would be incredibly difficult. After all, there were simply too many extraordinary beings involved!

This mystical region was quite large, and as expected, there were places allowing entry and exit. Even Godly Biology, powerful as they were, couldn't completely seal off every access point. Some extraordinary beings were able to use these routes to approach and scout the area.

Chu Feng successfully infiltrated, but he became even more cautious, moving carefully through the jungle.

White Snake Ridge, as its name implied, was a mountainous region where ranges stretched for a vast distance. Legend had it that a great serpent lay dormant and sleeping somewhere within this area.

Within this mountainous region was an open area with gentle slopes and sparse but enormous ancient trees. Several extraordinary beings were heading towards it.

Chu Feng arrived there too. He saw several ancient ginkgo trees, each hundreds of years old, with cracked bark and trunks so thick it would take several people to encircle them.

"So many wolves?" Chu Feng exclaimed in surprise.

The mountainous area carried a distinct musky odor, characteristic of wild animals. Ahead, nearly a hundred green wolves bared their snow-white fangs. Were they guarding this place, hoping to contend for something too?

Two of the wolves were particularly unusual. One had a wide maw and fangs, much larger than a typical green wolf, and was as robust as a large bull. Most remarkably, its body was covered not in fur, but in stony hide. It looked like a stone wolf! Clearly, this wolf had undergone a mutation!

Another wolf was even more extraordinary: it was the size of a house, its entire body resembling bronze, gleaming with a cold metallic luster. When its enormous maw opened, it was terrifying; even its fangs were metallic, exuding a chilling, formidable aura.

"A metal wolf?" Chu Feng was astonished.

Both wolves had mutated, akin to humans who had consumed mysterious fruits, leading to a strange evolution and a surge in their power. They were leading the pack of wolves, clearly waiting for the fruit on the miraculous small tree to ripen.

Chu Feng changed his vantage point and finally saw the small tree, which had previously been obscured by an ancient ginkgo. It was a small pine tree, only about 1.2 meters tall, and appeared to have emerged from the ground no more than two years ago. However, it had mutated, glowing a vibrant green all over. This young pine was thriving, gleaming with a vibrant luster and emanating a powerful life force. Even from a distance, its extreme vitality was palpable.

On the tree was a single pine cone, typically referred to as a pine nut cone, with individual pine nuts inside. This particular pine cone was partly a tender green, while its larger section was a distinct purple-gold. The tender green part resembled an ordinary, somewhat plain pine cone, but the purple-gold section appeared metallic and occasionally shimmered with radiant light.

Such a small pine tree would typically not bear fruit, but this mutated one defied common sense, with a soft green light circulating throughout its entire form. Anyone seeing it would immediately recognize how extraordinary this small tree was. Furthermore, the pine cone on the tree was the size of an adult's fist, far exceeding typical pine cones, and its dazzling purple-gold luster made it impossible to overlook.

The pine cone had not yet opened, but a faint, pleasant fragrance already permeated the air.

"It looks like the pine cone will split open in a few days," Chu Feng murmured, his eyes alight with fervor. "As soon as the tender green part also turns purple-gold and emits purple light, it will be ripe!"

All the extraordinary beings were cautious, patiently waiting for the fruit to mature. No one made a move prematurely, fearing to interrupt the fruit's final metamorphosis. The wolves were equally patient, quietly guarding the area.

"There are bodies here too?"

Chu Feng's expression became puzzled. Among the bushes not far from the small tree, there were numerous bodies, including those of extraordinary beings and the remains of fierce beasts. What had happened? There were no visible wounds; all the bodies were purple-black, suggesting they had been poisoned.

"Be careful; this place is strange. For some unknown reason, anyone who steps within ten meters of the small tree is inexplicably poisoned, and there's no cure. Even some extraordinary beings have died here."

"Godly Biology discovered this place first and were also the first to fall victim, yet they kept it a secret, effectively making this a death zone for a time."

Evidently, other extraordinary beings were lurking nearby, and though their whispers were faint, Chu Feng's keen hearing allowed him to catch every word.

"I also heard that a high-level master from Bodhi Gene once forced his way in and died a terrible death!"

"Let's go. We've seen it with our own eyes and understand the situation. We can't stay here long; if we're discovered, the consequences will be dire. We'll return when the pine cone is ripe!"

Those few extraordinary beings whispered among themselves, suspecting that Godly Biology had deliberately lowered their guard, implying that everything was under their control and that they were likely being secretly watched. The group departed, moving very cautiously.

"Can we dig it up now, roots and all, and plant it somewhere else?" Chu Feng asked the yellow ox.

The Ox Demon King shook its head, its eyes fixed eagerly on the small tree. It was clearly very attracted to it, as if it wished to devour it whole.

"If transplanted before maturity, the fruit will dissolve," the yellow ox wrote on the ground.

Chu Feng abandoned his daring plan. At the same time, he conceded that the others had a point: Godly Biology surely had a trump card, and the unusual tranquility of the place felt unnatural.

Chu Feng waited in concealment for a long time. Suddenly, a soft click echoed from afar as a rock on the ground shifted slightly, revealing a crack through which an extraordinary being peered out! Someone was underground?!

Chu Feng felt a chill. It seemed the entire mountainous area might have been hollowed out, with everything under Godly Biology's control. He looked at the surrounding mountains, which now seemed like monstrous beasts, ferocious and terrifying, ready to swallow people whole.

"Let's leave quickly. Staying here makes me uneasy. It seems Godly Biology is determined to get their hands on this," Chu Feng muttered, turning and departing silently.

The yellow ox had been highly alert throughout. After reaching the open area, it also sensed danger and was unwilling to linger.

"The difficulty is too great; snatching the fruit from the tiger's maw seems almost impossible. However, at the very least, I must dig up the extraordinary soil beneath that pine tree!"

This was the minimum goal Chu Feng set for himself. It was reasonable to assume that the soil around the mutated tree's roots would be even more special. All the extraordinary beings desired the pine cone, so presumably few would pay attention to the soil beneath its roots. That was Chu Feng's opportunity.

Chu Feng roamed through the mountains, finally bringing all the previously seized rocket launchers and other weapons, hiding them in separate locations outside White Snake Ridge.

"If I succeed, I'll escape along this path. Anyone who dares to pursue will be blasted with a rocket launcher first!"

He was quite familiar with the Taihang Mountains and carefully chose his escape route.

Afterward, Chu Feng began his journey back, but instead of heading straight home, he went to the mountain pass where he had first encountered the yellow ox. Zhou Quan had once unearthed a plant there that bore bright red fruit. It was this encounter that granted him the formidable ability to melt metal and stone. The yellow ox had tried to snatch it upon their first meeting but had ultimately only swallowed the plant's leaves, leaving its root and stem on the ground.

"I found it!"

Chu Feng was delighted; he actually found it right there! The plant's root and stem hadn't withered, sustained by a small, light green, slightly crystalline piece of soil, about the size of a fingernail, wrapped around its roots. He had now collected five small pieces of this special soil, which he believed would help the three seeds at home sprout sooner.

Shortly after, Chu Feng returned home. His first act was to loosen the soil and fertilize it, burying a small piece of the special earth next to each seed, awaiting the emergence of tender sprouts. Two pieces remained, but he refrained from using them all, fearing that too much might be detrimental.

"Queen Mother of the West, Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, grow quickly!" he muttered.

Chu Feng retrieved a stone box, intending to store the two remaining soil pieces within it. This was the mystical stone box he had obtained from the foot of Kunlun Mountain, where the three seeds had originally been stored. The stone box was three inches tall and square. However, upon opening, it revealed only a single indentation barely large enough for three seeds, making it unsuitable for storing other items.

Wielding his black short sword, Chu Feng prepared to carve out more space within the box, intending to dedicate it to storing the special earth blocks in the future. As expected, the short sword was incredibly sharp. The stone material inside the box was easily cut and removed, instantly expanding the internal space.

*Clink!*

Suddenly, the black broken sword struck a section near the box's edge, emitting a crisp sound. It couldn't cut through. Chu Feng was surprised and stared closely, but his hands kept working. After excavating enough space, he realized the edges of the stone box were incredibly hard; even his short sword couldn't mar them in the slightest.

Once clean, he picked up the stone box and noticed some faint patterns on its inner walls. Were they artificial or naturally formed? He quickly realized this was the true nature of the stone box. The material in the middle section had simply been filled in; it was ordinary stone that his short sword could easily dig through. The true material of the stone box was mysterious, impervious even to the black short sword.

The yellow ox leaned closer, observing the stone box, then the excavated stone fragments on the ground, and surprisingly, showed an expression of extreme solemnity. It lowered its head, carefully lifted the stone box with its hooves, and examined it closely. Then it crushed some of the excavated stone and, astonishingly, tasted it. In that instant, its expression changed dramatically!

It wrote a line of characters on the ground.

At that exact moment, Chu Feng's communicator rang. When he answered, Lin Luoyi's voice came through, simple and calm: "I'll be in the Taihang Mountains tomorrow." Just moments before, the words "old harridan" had almost slipped from Chu Feng's lips, but he managed to stop himself just in time. This time, it wasn't *that* woman.