Chapter 472: Collusion

Mount Tai, considered by ancient people to be the birthplace of the sun and the origin of all things, had been an important cradle of Eastern culture since ancient times.

The "Collected Explanations on the Records of the Grand Historian" notes that because heaven was impossibly high, the Feng and Shan sacrifices were performed on Mount Tai in the hope of drawing closer to the divine. From ancient times to the present, emperors throughout history have performed these sacrifices multiple times.

As Chu Feng approached Mount Tai, he gazed at it from afar, seeing its majestic and increasingly grand presence. Mount Tai was even more formidable than before. After global evolution, the revival of famous mountains, and several mutations, it had surged to tens of thousands of meters in height! It lay across the land like a slumbering sacred beast, radiating an oppressive aura, shrouded in clouds and mist, suffocating those who beheld it. It was many times larger than before, towering and immense, like a colossal divine city separating the heavens from the mortal world. Above the mountain lay the divine realm, and below was the human realm. In the past, when Chu Feng was still weak, he had witnessed the battle between the Lord of Jade Pure Palace and the Peacock King here, finding it astonishing. Now, he himself had returned, intending to use this sacred place of Feng and Shan sacrifices to advance to a higher realm.

On the mountain, ancient trees obscured the sun, and giant vines snaked across the landscape. Vast groves of green pines swayed with the mountain wind, creating a sound like crashing ocean waves, a booming "pine tide." The mountain was truly immense. Some had said there was no mountain greater and no history older, and it made sense. After the cosmic changes, this place had transformed completely, gradually revealing its true form! The area was far from peaceful; raptors tens of meters long circled overhead, and monstrous beasts the size of small hills roamed the mountains, frequently emitting terrifying roars.

"Awoo..."

With a great roar, a bloodied green elephant struggled in the distance, entwined by a massive black serpent that was gradually swallowing it. The snake was as thick as a train car. Just then, ear-splitting bird cries sent a ripple through the air. A scarlet giant bird, nearly two hundred meters long, soared in the sky, then abruptly dived. Its sharp talons snapped the massive snake, while its beak pecked at the green elephant. It killed both, then swept them up into the air and disappeared into the depths of the mountain. In mid-air, large amounts of blood splattered.

Chu Feng's expression hardened. Had the fierce birds and beasts from the folded space broken free and emerged? They could now roam around Mount Tai! Deep within the famous mountains, not only were there star paths, but also many prehistoric beasts, trapped in those dimensional spaces, constantly trying to break free. Now, these famous mountains had practically transformed into primeval lands, replicating the survival environment faced by ancient ancestors. Moreover, various humanoid beings were climbing the mountain, including local evolvers and extraterrestrial creatures. All knew that the sacred place of Feng and Shan held opportunities for fortune, and people came daily seeking their chance. The mountain paths were stained with blood; conflict was inevitable in such a place!

Chu Feng ascended the mountain, not by the main path, but by traversing the forests. Along the way, even in remote areas, there were many cliff carvings and stone tablets, all genuine relics left by ancient famous figures. Many fierce beasts inhabited the forest, some quite aggressive, daring to attack him. The mountain was vast, now astonishingly expansive. "Hmm, many of the energy fields have revived, and some areas have become dangerous," Chu Feng murmured, frowning.

Near the summit, a stone staircase bore a gilded plaque with the three characters "South Heaven Gate." The clouds and mist here were so dense that it truly felt like arriving at the location of the divine court. Chu Feng did not take that path, instead circling around to climb the cliff face, eventually reaching the vicinity of Mount Tai's Jade Emperor Peak. This area was incredibly vast, many times larger than it used to be. Wisps of clouds curled around, and ancient architectural ruins stretched out in vast expanses. Many creatures inhabited the area, including exotic beasts like three-headed dogs and silver pangolins, as well as humans, all searching for opportunities. On the cliffs and other places, strange, golden-yellow fruits exuded a fragrant scent, and exotic beasts fought fiercely over them, vying for the chance to evolve.

Chu Feng did not want to cause trouble. He intended to quietly enter the secret realm within, without disturbing anyone, as interference during the ascent to the altar could lead to great difficulties. On the mountain, the smell of blood was pungent, indicating that many battles had taken place in various spots. Not far away, an old man lay beside a large green stone, his clothes ragged and blood-stained, even his grizzled hair matted with blood. His lips were cracked, and his eyes were dull and lifeless. "Water... give me some water, young man... help me," he whispered weakly, his voice barely audible and hoarse. His ribs bore marks of beast claw attacks, bones exposed and bloody. Other parts of his body were similarly injured, and a knife was plunged into his chest, still dripping blood.

Chu Feng frowned. Intense battles had clearly occurred on the mountain; he had already seen several corpses along the path, and in this area, many injured individuals lay on the ground. He walked over, naturally unwilling to ignore someone calling for help. "Old man, don't worry, you'll be alright," Chu Feng said, squatting down. However, the next instant, he suddenly grabbed the knife in the old man's chest and violently twisted it, making the man shriek in agony. In a flash, Chu Feng pulled out the long blade, then swung it forcefully. With a *thud*, the man's head rolled off, spilling a large amount of blood.

"You are so vicious!" the old man's eyes widened in fury. In his final moments, as his head flew off, he uttered a resentful, unwilling cry. Then, Chu Feng cleaved the airborne head in half with another swing of his blade, destroying its spirit and ensuring it could never revive. At the same time, several severely wounded individuals who had been lying on the ground suddenly leaped up. From their previous state of weakness, they instantly became vigorous and fierce, their eyes like golden lamps, radiating a terrifying glare.

"You've sent an expert of the Free Roaming Realm for me to kill. I'll gladly accept!" Chu Feng stated calmly. Simultaneously, he chose a favorable position suitable for battle. He had almost been deceived just now. His intuition was incredibly sharp; at the last moment, sensing something was wrong, he immediately struck to kill. Otherwise, he might have been severely wounded by the old man's sneak attack. Without a doubt, these individuals carried peculiar secret treasures capable of concealing their murderous intent, using them to ambush Chu Feng here.

The group's eyes were cold. The old man's failed ambush meant he certainly wouldn't have a good end, but to die so abruptly before their eyes still enraged them. An expert of the Free Roaming Realm had been killed so easily, without even a fight, practically offering himself up to be beheaded by Chu Feng. It was infuriating.

"Kill him!" these individuals roared and attacked together, surrounding the area. A massive net suddenly descended from above, enveloping Chu Feng beneath it. It shimmered translucently, like a sheet of starlight. Its aura was undeniably terrifying, causing dread, as if a net of heaven and earth had descended to trap him within. The net possessed a horrifying demonic power that could shackle one's spirit and unleash spiraling energy to tear apart the physical body. Upon first contact, Chu Feng's expression changed. This was a secret treasure surpassing the Free Roaming Realm, likely a weapon used by cultivators of the Visualization realm, now employed against him. The only fortunate thing was that no Visualization realm cultivators were present. It seemed such individuals still faced considerable difficulty entering Earth's main space normally!

Without hesitation, Chu Feng summoned the Vajra Pestle. At this critical juncture, he didn't think of seizing the secret treasure for his own use; for safety, it was better to destroy it! Once he advanced to the Free Roaming Realm, he would be as unrestrained as a fish leaping in the vast sea or a bird soaring in the high sky, fearing nothing. Then, fighting them and snatching their secret treasures would be easy! The Vajra Pestle glowed, spewing solar fire essence to incinerate the massive net descending from the sky.

"Damn it!" someone exclaimed in anger. Once the solar fire essence emerged, even Visualization realm evolvers couldn't withstand it. This high-level energy could incinerate even Golden Body Arhats, let alone a mere inanimate secret treasure of the Visualization realm. The starlit net immediately trembled, emitting strange sounds. Its crystalline strands twisted, and many then snapped directly.

From above, a magnificent bronze pagoda descended, radiating immense power! It was also a secret treasure of the Visualization realm. If Chu Feng hadn't been decisive enough to summon the Vajra Pestle earlier, he would now be in a very passive and troublesome situation. They had actually deployed two Visualization realm secret treasures, intending to suppress him one after another. After the terrifying net was broken, there was still a pagoda. Normally, if Chu Feng had tried to burst out of the net, he would have been crushed by the bronze pagoda. The solar fire essence boiled, engulfing the bronze pagoda, turning it fiery red and partially melting it. "Ah, damn it!" someone shouted in furious resentment, their heart bleeding. They hastily withdrew the bronze pagoda, but it was already damaged, the surging solar fire essence too intense.

"Ding-a-ling!"

Not far away, someone violently shook their right hand, sending wave after wave of green ripples. It was a green bell, also a secret treasure of the Visualization realm, now displaying its full power. Chu Feng immediately felt his head splitting. The ripples emitted by this bell attacked one's spirit. Even though the operator was only of the Free Roaming Realm and not a true Visualization master, the effect was still terrifying. In an instant, a trickle of blood spilled from Chu Feng's lips, making him stumble.

His kasaya glowed. At such a critical moment, even though he didn't want to squander its power and had hoped to save it for ascending the altar, he had no choice now. Crimson light burst forth, a torrent of red radiance. As Chu Feng was enveloped by the kasaya, the intense discomfort significantly lessened. He took a deep breath, recalled the Vajra Pestle which had just unleashed its solar fire essence, and coldly scanned the individuals around him.

"People from Penglai?!" he said chillingly. Their methods were similar to those of Penglai, and judging by their attire, they appeared to be from the overseas immortal island. He hadn't expected them to be forewarned and ambush him here. Chu Feng's killing intent soared. He was truly enraged. All this time, the people from Penglai Island had been more relentless in hunting him down than even the extraterrestrial beings. He even started to wonder: were the Penglai truly native evolvers? Their actions were outrageous; they were weak against outsiders but absolutely ruthless and extremely powerful when suppressing local people. What deep-seated animosity did he have with Penglai? Was it merely because the young master of the Chen family had sent a cart-driving servant to summon him, intending to subjugate him, and he had refused to comply? How dare they act like this, again and again!

"Kill!" the others roared. The three Visualization realm secret treasures they held had all been unearthed from the ruins Penglai had left in the main space. Now, two were directly damaged, causing them immense heartache and intensifying their killing intent. At this moment, Chu Feng held nothing back. Wielding the precious staff he had seized from Li Lin in his right hand, he charged forward, weaving through the crowd, determined to unleash a massacre.

Ding-a-ling! The bell's ringing was piercing, and green ripples surged forth. These were not mere sound waves but contained mysterious spiritual power, amplified by the bell to attack one's soul. Abruptly, Chu Feng unleashed the Vajra Pestle, instantly shattering one person. The snow-white bracelet flew through the air, piercing through his body, and with a *clang*, struck the green bell. The person holding the bell shrieked. His hand, covered in blood, could no longer hold the bell, and he let it drop. The bell, struck by the Vajra Pestle, dimmed slightly, and its sound waves ceased.

Boom, boom, boom... The precious staff in Chu Feng's hand glowed at this moment, erupting with golden energy. It instantly struck down three people around him, all of whom exploded on the spot.

"Holy Son Zhu Wuque, Prince Qi Yu, Holy Son Yuwen Feng, have you arrived? This is the best opportunity to kill Chu Feng! Appear now and suppress him together!" someone from Penglai shouted with malicious eyes, calling out to the extraterrestrial holy sons, revealing their prior collusion!