Chapter 387: Decision

Mount Lao is one of the birthplaces of Taoism. It borders the sea, watching massive waves crash against the shore, the ebb and flow of tides, and the vast ocean rising and falling.

In ancient times, it was also known by various names and was the highest peak along ancient China's coastline. It was widely called the "Foremost Mountain on the Sea." As early as the pre-Qin period, a group of alchemists studied methods for immortality here. Historical records also show that King Fuchai once ascended Mount Lao and obtained the "Lingbao Duren Sutra."

In the distance, white waves crashed against the cliffs, and the azure sea surged, creating a magnificent spectacle. On the mountain, green pines and cypresses appeared lush and vibrant, as if polished from jade. Accompanied by white mist, the energy particles were very dense, making it a typical spiritual sanctuary.

After the world's transformation, Mount Lao became even more extraordinary. The vegetation on the mountain glowed; both the vibrant, colorful flowers and the verdant green vines possessed spiritual energy. Today, this place has become the sanctuary of Divine Biotech.

Dozens of ancient Taoist temples were scattered across various areas. Enveloped in white mist, they appeared like a land of immortals, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly feel. On some spiritual peaks, thousand-year-old Taoist temples appeared and disappeared from view, accompanied by ancient pines, white mist, and shimmering waterfalls. White cranes danced and circled between different spiritual peaks, making the area resemble an immortal's abode even more.

On a certain cliff face, in front of an unassuming small Taoist temple, an ancient pine tree twisted like a coiled dragon. Its needles were sparse, but it pulsed with vigorous life. This ancient pine was entirely silver-white, which was its unique characteristic. Its pine nuts had astonishing effects, making it currently the most significant tree on Mount Lao. It could enable a person to break through the sixth genetic shackle.

On a distant spiritual peak, people were conversing and looking towards this area. They were all high-ranking members of Divine Biotech. On the cliff face, the ancient silver pine stood robust, its bark cracked and also silver-white. Lin Nuoyi stood beneath the tree, her posture graceful. Her dark hair billowed, each strand shimmering. Her face was exquisitely flawless. She gazed at the vast, azure ocean in the distance, her heart also stirred with emotion.

"Nuoyi, it's time to make a decision." A middle-aged woman, appearing to be in her thirties, walked over. Her face was beautiful, her eyes deep, and she wore modern, fashionable clothing. However, she wore an ancient hairstyle, adorned with golden hairpins from which sparkling pearl strings hung, along with various other dazzling hair ornaments. She had arrived twenty-two years ago, but had not been dormant in the Arctic. Instead, she had another place of residence, and was one of the major backers of Divine Biotech. Aliens were lying low in areas near the Primordial Magnetic Immortal Cave, Qilin Nest, and other locations.

A man emerged from the small Taoist temple. From the outside, he appeared to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, very handsome. A cluster of crimson patterns adorned his forehead, giving him an eerie charm. He also came to stand beneath the silver pine tree in front of the cliff, gazing out at the magnificent azure sea.

"Nuoyi, that peerless genius from the Evolutionary Dynasty is deep within Mount Lao's folded space," the handsome man said, the cluster of crimson patterns on his forehead glowing, crystalline and translucent. "If you just bring him here, this world will be yours." Not far away, an old woman whose body had been burned in half stood respectfully and quietly to the side. She was merely a servant to the handsome man and the beautiful middle-aged woman.

"This planet once held an astonishingly high rank in the cosmic sea. Even in its decline, various sacred artifacts glow in the sand and lie scattered among the ruins. Many years ago, we discovered an energy tower within you. This is your destined opportunity; no one can extract it. Now you can activate it, using it as a bridge to penetrate the folded space and construct a safe passage."

"The prince of the Evolutionary Dynasty is exceptionally brilliant, truly a chosen son of heaven. And you are also a chosen daughter of heaven. Bring him here; only he is worthy of you. Together, you will be a perfect match. This planet, once ranked eleventh in the universe, will become the place of your joint rise."

"Nuoyi, make your decision soon!" The man and woman, both with serious expressions, earnestly urged her.

"Hmm," Lin Nuoyi murmured, looking at the azure sea.

Chu Feng and his companions piloted the flying saucer, moving like lightning, traversing the sky from Kunlun. They soon reached the shores of the East Sea, and then began to descend. This was because the Dragoness was waiting there; she had not gone to Kunlun with them.

"Dragoness, we've arrived!" Chu Feng contacted her.

On the coast, the Dragoness appeared, her aquamarine hair flowing freely. Her smile was bright, and her figure was graceful and slender. Chu Feng's adherence to his promise to come made her very happy.

"Just to be clear, you need to ensure our safety," Chu Feng said. He had no desire to fight the Old Dragon King of the South Sea and others in the ocean; that was not his home turf.

"You are honored guests of my East Sea; the South Sea Dragon Clan wouldn't dare act presumptuously here," the Dragoness said with a smile, reassuring them.

"Hmm, is this close to Mount Lao?" As the flying saucer took off and flew across the sky, Chu Feng saw the spiritual mountain in the distance, wreathed in clouds and mist. The energy concentration there was astonishing. He thought of Lin Nuoyi; Divine Biotech occupied that area.

The Yellow Ox spoke: "Mount Lao, back then, must have been home to an incredibly powerful Evolutionary Dynasty, with formidable mighty beings residing there. They often rode quasi-divine beast chariots, traveling through the cosmic sea and visiting various star regions." Its small face was serious as it stared at the Mount Lao area. This was recorded in the ancient notes of predecessors that it had seen in its own world. Before coming to Earth, it had done some research and read many documents. Unfortunately, it was still too young then, and its knowledge was limited.

Chu Feng couldn't help but sigh with emotion that a certain period in Earth's history was truly glorious. At that time, powerful individuals were abundant, and high-ranking members of some traditions were capable of traversing the cosmic sea. This was simply unimaginable: on a single planet, high-ranking members of many evolution-focused sects could freely travel to various star regions. How astonishing was that?! Back then, for Earth's powerful individuals, visiting friends in other star systems was as simple as dropping by a neighbor's house. Now, thinking about the present, Earth had declined, becoming a desolate wasteland, a cause for regret and sighs.

Now, in the eyes of evolvers from various extraterrestrial regions, Earth had become a barbaric land. Only a group of "natives" remained here, incapable of achieving anything significant. They intended to seize Earth's final fortunes.

"They say every famous mountain has a path, and that beings from some star regions would arrive on Earth via special ancient routes. Why haven't we seen anyone like that yet?" asked the Black Ox. They had discussed this issue back when they were on Mount Olympus.

The Northeast Tiger also showed emotion, saying, "Exactly! Isn't there a damned deity in the West? First, he bewitched Schiller from the Vatican, then created the divine consciousness Amman. Later, at Purple Gold Mountain in Jiangning, another divine envoy, Abel, appeared and was burned to death. When will the true mastermind behind all this show up?!"

"Before, we thought he wasn't very strong and would soon risk breaking through," the Yellow Ox said. "But now it seems this person is not simple." The more powerful an individual is, the more difficult and dangerous it is for them to descend upon Earth. The resistance they face would be terrifying. The Yellow Ox explained: "Relatively speaking, it's easier to descend from the starry sky. But to emerge from the ancient paths within the folded spaces behind the various famous mountains, that's much harder."

However, Earth's coordinates in the universe had long been forgotten by most in the cosmic sea, with few knowing them. They could only rely on certain special ancient paths. Undoubtedly, during Earth's glorious era, too many paths were opened, connecting it to many parts of the cosmic sea. That was a brilliant period. However, after its ultimate splendor came complete darkness. Earth never recovered, and the most talented and outstanding predecessors of that era were all slaughtered, their blood flowing like rivers. The entire planet was left desolate.

"Sooner or later, we will go out there!" Chu Feng declared from inside the flying saucer.

"Exactly, our Beast Legion will eventually march into the cosmic sea!" said the Black Ox.

"It's the Sage Legion, isn't it?!"

"It's the Beauty Legion!" The Old Taoist's granddaughter, the troublesome girl, also joined in the fun, her face beaming with smiles. Chu Feng and the others were very curious about which star system she came from and kept asking her. However, the little girl was tight-lipped and refused to elaborate on her origins.

"Are you from the Alpha system?"

"No, judging by your appearance, you must be from the Sagittarius constellation!" The group teased her.

The Dragoness reminded Chu Feng, saying, "It's not good for you to keep killing aliens."

"What can I do? They picked a fight with me; I just reacted defensively," Chu Feng said, spreading his hands with a helpless expression.

The flying saucer soared through the sky, moving away from Mount Lao, and into the depths of the vast ocean. With the world's transformation, folded spaces emerged endlessly. The ocean was no exception; the distance from one point to another increased tenfold, and its area consequently expanded nearly a hundredfold.

In the depths of the ocean, it was surprisingly tranquil. There were no raging waves or howling winds. The azure sea was like a mirror. The golden sun hung high in the sky, casting shimmering fragments of gold onto the surface of the water.

"We're here!" the Dragoness informed them. She was in charge of piloting the flying saucer and leading the way. The flying saucer descended, parting the sea surface, and entered the ocean's depths.

"Oh my goodness, I can't swim! Little Sister Dragoness, you'll have to look after me for a bit!" Ouyang Feng the Toad tried to ingratiate himself, utterly shameless. It was only a little over one year old, yet shamelessly called the Dragoness "Little Sister."

"I've never heard of a toad drowning!" the Black Ox retorted.

In fact, the Toad's eyes gleamed with excitement; it was thrilled. When it was born, its first form was a true dragon, and it had also transformed into a bird before finally becoming a toad. Now, approaching the critical area of the East Sea, near the Dragon's Nest, it was incredibly agitated.

The underwater world was not dark; surprisingly, it was vibrant with color. Various corals glowed, completely unlike before, sparkling brightly, like clusters of torches. The Dragoness smiled and told them that these were excellent light sources. Chu Feng and the others showed expressions of surprise. This was their first time entering the seabed after the world's transformation, and the scenery they witnessed was simply too beautiful.

With corals as light sources, the underwater scene was remarkably splendid. They saw houses built from seashells and temples constructed from fish bones, pure white like jade and sacredly flawless. They occasionally showed surprise. There were too many underwater races; along the way, they saw many creatures they had never heard of or seen before, all of whom had dwellings on the seabed.

Furthermore, they saw some unusual trees, rooted on the underwater ridges, vibrantly colorful, and bearing fruits of various hues. Clearly extraordinary varieties, they were truly mouth-watering. However, these unusual trees were guarded by sea beasts, including sharks hundreds of meters long, sea turtles as large as small mountains, and even humanoid monsters, as well as scaled birds and other creatures.

Soon after, they were astonished; they actually saw an underwater city, magnificent and grand!