Chapter 400: Qilin's Old Nest

Ahead, massive boulders lay scattered. The place resembled a stone maze, permeated by white mist; entering rashly would easily lead to getting lost.

This was the old site of the Qilin Nest, the former dwelling of the auspicious beast.

Chu Feng circled the area. It was vast, covering a wide expanse, with massive boulders and smaller stones piled together in clusters. This place was truly like a labyrinth. Many of the massive boulders and stone piles looked similar, and coupled with the constantly swirling, special energy substance—the 'immortal mist'—anyone walking in would undoubtedly easily lose their sense of direction.

Chu Feng was certain there was a field within. The interior of this place was practically a naturally occurring 'ghost wall'; even evolutionaries could get trapped if they weren't careful. The old Qilin Nest was half-ruined, but the fragmented field in this area, along with the large stone piles, still exuded an aura of mystery.

"There are quite a few extraterrestrials!" Chu Feng walked a full circle around the area, sensing waves of life-force fluctuations.

This area, where massive boulders coexisted with stone piles, was similar in size to a gigantic city. Even just on the periphery, he found unusual trees laden with fruit. Among them, several trees bore fruit capable of helping one break through six layers of restraints.

"The Qilin Nest is truly rich in resources!" Chu Feng sighed. However, it was now occupied by 'descenders'; a group of extraterrestrials had been dormant here for a long time. Without a doubt, there must be greater fortune deep within this divine beast's nest; otherwise, they wouldn't reside here and refuse to leave. If they merely wished to hibernate, they could always find a suitable place elsewhere.

Chu Feng moved stealthily, concealing his tracks. Like a phantom, he glided between the stone piles, officially approaching the nest. The place was indeed vast, with numerous stone piles and dense mist. Every few hundred meters, he could see a thatched hut or stone house, all inhabited by extraterrestrials. Unusual trees grew near some of the stone houses.

"What a great place!" Chu Feng silently marveled. This area was even more potent than the famous mountains; at least at this stage, its revival level was higher, causing medicinal herbs and unusual trees to burst with vitality. The further he went inward, the stronger the energy concentration became, and the more luxuriant the unusual trees grew. So far, Chu Feng had discovered over a dozen dwellings, which meant over a dozen 'descenders' were present—and this was just a small corner of the area.

He felt a chill, realizing the number of extraterrestrials who had arrived on Earth twenty-two years ago was truly not small! Yet, for all these years, they had remained silent and hidden, truly capable of enduring such a long wait.

"It seems some of these 'descenders' understand fields, effectively avoiding dangerous areas." Chu Feng noticed that wherever there was a field, there were no thatched huts or stone houses; these areas were very open, with only some unusual trees growing. In some of these places, the unusual trees were laden with fragrant fruit, yet no one had harvested them. Chu Feng was greatly tempted but dared not act rashly.

"That is..." His pupils contracted. In one area, where the white mist was very dense, there were no stones or other objects; it was very open, and there were no extraterrestrials. There was a patch of snow-white bamboo, with one particularly thick, old stalk as white as jade. On it hung a cluster of fruits, resembling a string of suet-jade grapes. It was truly strange: in the entire bamboo grove, only one old stalk bore fruit, like a string of white grapes, and its refreshing scent wafted through the air.

"This cluster of fruits can at least allow one to break through seven layers of restraints," Chu Feng assessed. His eyes burned with fervor, and he immediately took action, walking inward step by step. He knew this place was very dangerous; otherwise, it wouldn't be so empty, with no extraterrestrials residing there. But fortune favors the brave; he yearned for evolution and wanted to pick that string of suet-jade-like, crystalline unusual fruits. Clearly, these fruits, combined with lightning-struck wood, toad's blood, and other ingredients, could be refined into a batch of precious medicine in the Supreme Bagua Furnace, allowing him to break through the ninth layer of restraints and evolve again. As long as he could harvest that string of snow-white fruits from the old bamboo stalk, Chu Feng's trip would not be in vain, and he could successfully withdraw. Being able to refine precious medicine and facilitate his evolution made the risk worthwhile!

Chu Feng approached and entered the bamboo grove. In an instant, he felt dizzy; even as a field researcher, he was startled. The field here was somewhat terrifying; he had just entered and almost got lost, as it could interfere with a person's spiritual magnetic field. Chu Feng etched on magnetic stones, then quickly threw them in various directions. In an instant, the white mist in this area grew even denser, covering him and engulfing the bamboo grove. Chu Feng disappeared from sight, worried that extraterrestrials might discover him.

Afterwards, he sat on the ground, carefully sensing the earth's energy and exploring the bamboo grove, hoping to find a safe path to directly approach the old bamboo stalk. Soon after, his complexion turned slightly pale. This area was a corner covered by the fragmented field of the Qilin Nest, making it extremely dangerous. Chu Feng was certain that one wrong step would lead to an inescapable predicament; this bamboo grove could sever one's physical body and obliterate one's spirit!

"Extremely dangerous!" Chu Feng sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He had a premonition that this string of snow-white fruits would be very difficult to harvest, but he didn't want to give up and was determined to try. If he could truly harvest them and take them back for refining medicine, his strength would surge! With the world in such chaos and 'descenders' constantly appearing, there was nothing more important than personal strength to deal with the crisis.

One day, two days... Chu Feng spent several days researching here, his brows tightly furrowed. He couldn't find a way through. This was just a corner of the Qilin Nest; even if it was damaged, it still held unknown dangers.

On Mount Lao, Mu Qing stood on a mountaintop, her white robes fluttering, gazing at the boundless azure ocean at the foot of the mountain. Her fair, beautiful face was serene.

"Fairy, it has been confirmed multiple times: Han Wenze, Huang Weiyue, and the others are dead, killed on Purple Gold Mountain in Jiangning. It appears they were annihilated by a field," someone reported. In just a few days, high-ranking members within Genesis Biotics had pledged allegiance to Mu Qing, serving her with utmost dedication.

"Foolish!" Mu Qing didn't turn around. This was her assessment of Huang Weiyue and the others. Days ago, she already knew something had happened to those individuals, but she took no action.

"Chu Feng's mastery of fields is astonishing. If this continues, he will become a menace later; he's progressing too quickly," Mu Qinghe said.

Genesis Biotics had two major factions: the Mu family and the Lin family. Now, a maid of the Heavenly Prince had successfully crossed over and happened to share the same surname as the Mu family, prompting Mu Qinghe, an important figure of the Mu family, to immediately pledge allegiance.

"It's not necessarily an annihilation by a field," Mu Qing said calmly.

"Could Chu Feng be that powerful, already capable of fighting against several experts who have broken through nine layers of restraints? But there were indeed traces of field activation in that area," Mu Qinghe whispered.

Mu Qing ignored his words and murmured to herself, "This Chu Feng is quite composed. I've waited for him on Mount Lao for four days, and he still hasn't appeared."

Mu Qinghe's expression tightened. This woman was truly calm, quietly waiting for Chu Feng to come to her.

"Chu Feng is very strong," he carefully reminded her.

"An ant-like creature. If he truly comes, I can crush him with a single slap!" At this, Mu Qing didn't conceal her arrogance. Facing her newly acquired confidant, she had no need for a false smile.

Mu Qinghe felt a chill in his heart. Just how strong was this beautiful woman? One had to remember, she was merely a maid of that Prince.

"Hmm, even if he comes, I won't kill him; I'll just subdue him," Mu Qing said with a faint smile. Then, she looked towards a distant spiritual peak, which was Lin Nuoyi's dwelling.

Mu Qinghe's eyes gleamed as he said, "Fairy, if you are confident, you could attack Kunlun, destroy Wudang, and level Mount Song. Everyone on these famous mountains is connected to Chu Feng."

"You're too selfish," Mu Qing said, glancing at him. "Chu Feng killed a son of yours named Mu on Mount Taihang, didn't he?"

Mu Qinghe lowered his head. He knew that not only he had pledged allegiance, but others had too, and they had informed Mu Qing of some of his circumstances.

"I'll wait for him for two more days. If he still doesn't come, I'll go out for a stroll," Mu Qing said flatly.

For a full five days, Chu Feng tried with all his might but failed. Unable to harvest the string of unusual fruits resembling suet-jade grapes, he could only sigh and withdraw. For these five days, the Qilin Nest remained very calm. The stone man and the large lizard with fleshy wings had disappeared, and their absence did not attract any attention. This was because the place had been too quiet for over two decades; no one had ever dared to intrude or act recklessly, and the guards on the outside rarely rotated shifts.

Chu Feng found it still calm, so he continued his exploration. He proceeded deeper into the Qilin Nest, continuing his search.

In the deepest part, the mist was thick. There was a stone forest where the field was most intact and unbroken. From a great distance, Chu Feng's pupils contracted. What did he see? The legendary Qilin Flowers! In the stone forest, there were numerous clusters of flowers, purplish and radiant, with bowl-sized buds in bloom. Their petals bore Qilin patterns, which was astonishing. A faint fragrance wafted out. It wasn't that the flowers weren't potent enough; in fact, when they bloomed, rays of light surged, piercing through the mist. But a field enveloped them, preventing the true floral scent from spreading, and as for pollen, it was even less likely to escape.

"These are Qilin Flowers, priceless!" Chu Feng's eyes burned with envy. However, he couldn't enter and could only watch. That stone forest was once inhabited by a Qilin and was an important place. The flowers had bloomed there due to the Qilin's blood essence and energy constantly permeating the area over the years. Unfortunately, no one could harvest them. Even though many extraterrestrials resided nearby, they were equally helpless and could only stare.

In the Qilin Nest, no one could take a single step into the stone forest area at the very center. Yet, the true great fortunes were all within, and some even suspected that there might be a Qilin cub inside. Outside the central stone forest were some larger stone houses, where the most powerful group of extraterrestrials resided and hibernated.

From a great distance, Chu Feng circled this central area. He saw light rain occasionally rising from the stone forest, and ahead, there was surprisingly a medicinal field, entirely filled with rare, sacred plants. He swallowed hard. Even if he didn't recognize them, he knew they were definitely priceless, rare medicinal herbs. He couldn't force his way in here; the field in the central area was the most terrifying. If he truly set foot inside, his mind and spirit would likely be annihilated.

"Forget it, hold back, restrain myself!" Chu Feng sighed, suppressing the impulse in his heart. He didn't attempt to decipher the field; he couldn't even step into the bamboo grove outside, let alone this place.

Finally, he chose to approach a stone house. In front of it was an old tree bearing several fruits as red as agate, exuding a fragrant scent. Some of the fruits on the tree were ripe, while others were still slightly unripe. Chu Feng was certain that this type of fruit could allow one to break through the seventh layer of restraints and could be harvested for medicinal refinement. Since there were stone houses here, it was a safe zone. Chu Feng guessed that these fruits were long useless to the owner of the stone house; otherwise, they wouldn't have been left to grow unharvested. The being inside the house was asleep.

Silently, Chu Feng glided over, hiding in the white mist, which made his actions very convenient. Then, he began to harvest the unusual fruits—both ripe and unripe, six in total—picking all of them in one go! For him, this meant evolution, which could make his strength surge again!