Chapter 397: Out of the Pass

The comfortable feeling of breaking through shackles and unleashing human potential was intoxicating. Chu Feng's body glowed, especially his spine, from which large swathes of light mist rose, sacred and brilliant.

Through introspection, he could see his entire spine was golden, energy condensed into a dragon-serpent form, resembling a battle spear that could fly out at any moment with a mere thought from Chu Feng.

However, he dared not test it here; this was, after all, the Grand Supreme Bagua Furnace.

With his physical constitution improving, golden mist surged from his pores, exchanging energy with the outside world. This evolution of his life level was irresistible, giving Chu Feng the illusion of ascending to immortality.

"So comfortable!" he couldn't help but exclaim. He stood up, stretching his limbs, his whole body radiating golden mist. Every move he made possessed astonishing power.

"Next, I'll go to Mount Huang to gather herbs. There's a strange tree there that bears astonishing fruits, but unfortunately, I couldn't get close to it last time."

Chu Feng's eyes, like two golden lamps, shot out beams of light, burning with intense heat as he envisioned an enticing path of evolution.

Previously, he had explored the Qinling Mountains, then Zhongnan Mountain, and finally Mount Huang, accompanied by financial magnates and alien descendants from the Arctic. During that trip, he discovered an ancient tree bearing brilliant fruits.

Regrettably, he couldn't decipher the energy field in that area at the time, preventing him from plucking the exotic fruits.

This time, he doubted anyone would dare accompany him. The last time, the financial magnates and people from the Arctic had a miserable experience; with him leading the way, deaths were constant, occurring wherever they went. Those people ultimately concluded he was a jinx and a harbinger of bad luck.

"Hmm, going to Mount Huang means I can evolve again soon. This feeling is too wonderful, as if I'm about to become an immortal." Chu Feng still savored that sensation.

His physical body radiated intense golden mist. After breaking the eighth shackle, his constitution continued to slowly strengthen. He felt utterly comfortable, with points of light raining down and golden mist swirling.

He glanced down at the seven silver pills, which gleamed like a cluster of small stars. He knew they likely had no further effect on him.

Exotic fruits of the same level could only induce one evolution, and the same generally applied to elixirs refined into luminous pellets.

Pollen and exotic fruits primarily promote physical transformation because a unique substance within them stimulates the body, dramatically increasing cellular activity.

The strength or weakness of the energy contained in the pollen and exotic fruits was not the most crucial factor; the key was their catalytic effect.

Despite his prediction, Chu Feng still wasn't resigned and ate another silver pill. As expected, no miracle occurred; it had no effect on him.

"Mount Huang, the Arctic Primordial Magnetic Immortal Cave, the Qilin's old nest, and the ocean — these places all contain fruits with extraordinary medicinal properties that can be sought out!"

Chu Feng set his goals. He yearned to grow stronger, to elevate himself again, and to continue advancing both his physical constitution and spirit.

The situation on Earth was complex and growing increasingly dangerous, especially since he had clashed fiercely with aliens, putting him in a precarious position. There was only one way to survive: rapid evolution and continuous self-improvement.

"Grumble, grumble!" His old problem recurred. Every time his physique drastically improved, he would feel faint from hunger and suffer stomach pains due to the immense energy consumption.

Chu Feng had prepared thoroughly; the food was incredibly abundant. The meat of the South Sea Dragon race was absolutely delicious and now ranked first on his gourmet list.

This place, being inside the Bagua Furnace, was perfect for roasting dragon meat.

Additionally, he had plenty of alien tiger kidney and roc meat stored in his spatial bottle. The meat didn't keep fresh for long, but its energy hadn't fully dissipated.

In a short while, the aroma of roasted meat wafted from the Grand Supreme Fire Furnace, spreading hundreds of meters outwards.

"What the hell, what's that smell? My mouth is watering! This Demon King couldn't have come here just to enjoy a gourmet feast, could he? Damn it!" Outside, some people, smelling the incredibly tempting aroma, found it unbearable and couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

This time, Chu Feng's appetite didn't suffer. His preparations were so thorough that he had all the ingredients for the top three dishes on his gourmet list. He made soup, steamed dishes, and roasted meat, truly indulging himself.

An hour later, Chu Feng, completely satisfied, unsteadily rose to his feet.

At the same time, he collected the star-like pills from the ground into a jade jar. Since he no longer needed them, he could give them to the Wudang Grandmaster and others later.

These silver-glowing elixirs were currently priceless treasures, capable of drastically boosting one's power!

Chu Feng even considered making another trip to Indestructible Island to see if he could contact the Yellow Ox and deliver some to them.

"No rush, there are still many exotic fruits in the world. I'll continue to gather them and refine them in the Grand Supreme Bagua Furnace, ensuring I have plenty."

Chu Feng mused that exotic fruits capable of helping people break six shackles, when combined with dragon blood grass, toad blood, and roc blood, and then refined, could elevate one by two ranks, allowing them to break eight shackles.

"I need to find fruits with even stronger medicinal effects!"

Chu Feng tidied up inside the Bagua Furnace, removing all traces, then slowly emerged.

He spread his divine senses, looking at the surrounding bushes, and felt a wave of disappointment. No "big fish" had appeared; the financial magnates and aliens were all too cautious.

There were people and exotic beasts nearby, but they were all minor figures, assigned to monitor the area, along with various detectors.

"What a shame, why didn't anyone come?" he muttered to himself, full of regret.

His expression was seen by people and captured by detectors, along with his words. At this moment, the faces of both the financial magnates and other factions turned dark.

A group of people cursed, "Damn it, this mischievous bastard really didn't have any good intentions!"

With his fiery golden eyes, Chu Feng searched and confirmed there were no super-evolvers nearby. He then shattered all the detectors and scared away the minor figures.

Next, he held the Vajra Cudgel and approached the area of solar fire essence, attempting to absorb it.

After this refinement, the Vajra Cudgel had become even brighter and more crystalline, with natural patterns forming within, making it increasingly extraordinary.

Just how extraordinary it was would need to be tested in actual combat!

However, the Vajra Cudgel's original function was to absorb energy, becoming incredibly heavy and capable of breaking through anything.

Chu Feng prepared to collect some solar fire essence, and if possible, some lunar fire essence as well, to see if they could be stored long-term. Both types of fire essence were special forms of energy.

"Hmm, it really can absorb it, excellent!" Chu Feng was surprised.

The Vajra Cudgel, pure white, grew progressively brighter and more translucent. After absorbing the fire essence, it became even more exceptional, almost like a crude version of a weapon belonging to a founding patriarch.

He felt that this so-called "ultimate scrap weapon" would bring him surprises in the future.

Afterward, Chu Feng tried to absorb a small amount of lunar fire essence with the Vajra Cudgel. The result was that he was burned so badly he fled frantically, looking utterly disheveled, and the area nearly experienced a massive explosion.

Lunar fire essence and solar fire essence seemed to be incompatible, erupting immediately when they met near the Vajra Cudgel, causing Chu Feng to yelp in pain from the burns.

In the distance, the people observing had no idea what happened, all wearing strange expressions. "What in the world is this Demon King Chu doing?"

Chu Feng cursed continuously, changed out of his tattered and scorched clothes, and gave up on absorbing one type of fire essence, choosing to only absorb the other.

Undoubtedly, both types of fire essence were extremely high-level special energies with astonishing destructive power. Even the unfathomable old Taoist priest couldn't withstand them and was almost burned to death.

Chu Feng weighed the Vajra Cudgel and found it now weighed tens of thousands of kilograms. This object inexplicably became heavier simply by absorbing energy, a phenomenon yet to be explained.

He dared not continue absorbing it, fearing an accident. This was super-energy solar fire essence; if it accidentally erupted on him, his very soul might be incinerated.

Finally, he carefully placed the Vajra Cudgel into a jade pure bottle.

Chu Feng found a mountain spring, took a bath, and then leisurely, slowly, and completely refreshed, walked out and headed towards Jiangning City.

"These people are too cautious. Can't they give me a chance to show off? Not a single big fish came." Chu Feng grumbled regretfully.

He took out his communicator from the spatial bottle, looked at it repeatedly, and his expression changed. He had received several messages and seen many news reports.

There were figures of "descenders" in the folded spaces of various famous mountains, seemingly preparing for a large-scale arrival!?

Moreover, a god had descended in the West, successfully crossing realms?!

"Could it be the master of divine envoys Yaman and Abel, the same alien who misled Schiller…?" Chu Feng frowned.

It was a turbulent autumn. He knew that major changes were about to begin on Earth, and large numbers of "descenders," including various divine sons, saintesses, Buddhist disciples, and imperial princesses, were likely to appear simultaneously!

Then, he gazed at the warnings from old acquaintances on his communicator. The alerts they sent made him serious.

"As long as I can rapidly evolve and grow stronger, there's nothing to fear!"

Chu Feng returned, carefully observing his surroundings to confirm no ambush, and hurried towards Jiangning City.

He was quite relaxed. Although he realized the era of chaos was beginning, his recent evolution and significant power surge meant his joy hadn't faded, so his mood remained excellent.

"Hm?!" Suddenly, as he was about to enter the city, he took a step, and mist rose nearby; he had stepped into an energy field.

Chu Feng kicked the ground, cracking it, then abruptly retreated. It was a small, rather ineffective energy field that failed to trap him.

However, the most serious issue was an ambush. He had just been lamenting the lack of action, and now, karma struck; someone truly had arrived with malicious intent.

Large explosions erupted around him, not from thermal weapons, but from several beings whose aura was so powerful it formed an energy storm, tearing the ground, uprooting many large trees nearby, and sending numerous millstone-sized rocks flying in all directions—a terrifying sight!

Several creatures, using the small energy field to conceal their presence, suddenly appeared to intercept and kill him.

The energy field wasn't meant to trap him, but to hide those creatures.

They emerged from all directions, surrounding Chu Feng.

"Who are you?" Chu Feng asked.

"Hmm, your guide," replied a woman with a veiled face, her figure graceful, revealing a pair of captivating, bright eyes.

"What do you mean?" Chu Feng frowned.

"The exceptionally talented prince from a certain evolutionary imperial dynasty values talent, and we also believe you are promising. We wish to take you to meet His Royal Highness," Huang Weiyue said with a smile.

"Values talent, and meet him?" Chu Feng looked at them askance, a reaction entirely influenced by the toad Ouyang Feng.

"Yes, you are good, a talent. Come with us." Huang Weiyue spoke with a smile, showing a hint of reserve, but also a hidden contempt.