Chapter 5: Flower Blooming

Silence fell near the mountaintop; no sound could be heard.

The three creatures paid no attention to Chu Feng, seemingly ignoring him.

Chu Feng understood that he was still quite far from the summit, and perhaps they perceived him as non-threatening, thus disregarding his presence below.

These were three spiritual and extraordinary creatures.

"I should leave now!"

Chu Feng decided to descend the mountain. Although he was very curious about the small tree rooted on the bronze peak and yearned to learn more about it, the area was too dangerous for him; his life could be lost at any moment.

The fragrance grew stronger, wafting from the bronze mountain.

The mastiff moved with lightning speed, traversing the rocky terrain in a few bounds before scaling the steep mountain face directly to the summit.

A black yak, over three meters long, with a sleek, dark hide and intimidatingly thick horns, followed unhurriedly.

It walked steadily, managing to ascend the treacherous bronze mountain along the side with loose soil and rocks.

The fierce bird in mid-air, appearing as if cast from gold, its wings becoming even more dazzling, its pupils glinting with golden light, descended closer to the cliff, fixated on the small tree.

Just as Chu Feng prepared to retreat, the fragrance intensified several times over; the flower bud was about to bloom.

"Pop!"

Despite the distance, Chu Feng distinctly heard the sound of the flower opening. A single petal of the fist-sized, silvery-white bud at the top of the small tree unfurled.

The flower bloomed with a sound!

The floral scent, now much stronger than before, was captivating, as if possessing a peculiar, intoxicating allure.

In an instant, the three creatures rushed to the edge of the cliff, drawing near and watching intently. They began to intensely sniff the flower's fragrance, seemingly gulping down the aroma.

Chu Feng turned his head and happened to witness this scene; their strange behavior astonished him.

The three creatures could barely contain themselves, each wanting to attack the others, revealing terrifying savagery.

Successive soft sounds followed as silvery-white petals continued to unfurl, accompanied by a hazy white mist and shimmering gleam. The flower bloomed audibly, its fragrance more than ten times richer!

Chu Feng was genuinely startled. What kind of flower was this? Its scent was so alluring that he felt an irresistible urge to turn back and rush towards the summit.

At the top of the one-meter-tall tree, the fist-sized silvery-white flower fully opened. A white mist emanated from it, spreading over the bronze cliff, making the area resemble a celestial realm.

The petals, adorned with golden speckles, now glowed in unison. Within the white mist, these flecks of golden light sparkled like stars, radiating brilliance.

The sight was somewhat magnificent and captivating.

This was the moment the three creatures had been waiting for—for it to mature!

They fought for it, colliding violently, claws tearing through the air. It was a release of primal savagery, utterly frantic, as each desired to claim the miraculous flower for itself.

When the black yak stomped its hooves, the mountaintop trembled slightly, revealing its immense strength.

"Clang!"

In mid-air, the golden fierce bird spread its large talons and clashed with the yak's rough horns, producing a deafening sound.

The mastiff growled, its low, guttural sound like thunder.

The three creatures fought, attacking each other to claim the blooming flower.

In the process, they also sniffed intensely, desperately trying to inhale the fragrance.

White mist swirled on the bronze mountaintop. In the hazy light, the golden speckles shimmered, resembling a small starry sea glowing within the mist. The scene was incredibly mysterious and beautiful.

"Bang!"

They brushed against the vibrant green sapling, and one of the mastiff's large paws grazed the flower.

A strong wind gusted as the golden fierce bird swooped down, directly engaging the mastiff, its sharp talons descending as if to tear the mastiff apart.

Earlier, they had not attacked each other due to mutual apprehension, but now that the flower had bloomed, they fought with desperate abandon for its possession.

As the golden fierce bird flapped its wings, several petals fell from beneath the mastiff's large paw, carried by the strong winds towards the foot of the bronze mountain.

The mountain was extremely steep here, and the mist-shrouded petals quickly drifted down towards Chu Feng.

He raised his hand and caught one. Its fragrance was so overwhelmingly rich that he nearly felt intoxicated. Upon closer inspection, he saw a shimmering layer on the inner surface of the petal with golden speckles.

"Pollen!"

A layer of pollen adhered to it, gleaming.

Chu Feng reached out and caught four petals in succession. Two of them had a slightly weaker scent, having only a small amount of pollen, while the other two were intensely fragrant, covered in glistening particles, their scent incredibly rich.

The three creatures on the bronze mountaintop glanced down with cold eyes, then resumed their fierce struggle for the remaining petals.

Seeing this, Chu Feng gripped the petals tightly.

However, he quickly noticed something unusual: the petals in his hand were no longer moist and felt withered. He opened his palm to find that the glistening particles had vanished from all four petals, and the petals themselves were dry!

In an instant, they lost their luster, their vitality, and turned yellowish-brown.

What was happening?

With a slight squeeze, one of the petals crumbled into dust.

Chu Feng was astonished. He tossed down the remaining three withered petals and shouted towards the summit, "Here, take them back!"

Then, he resolutely turned and ignored everything else, rushing down the mountain.

Although eager to escape, he couldn't help but ponder along the way: why did those four petals instantly wither in his hand? This change was very strange!

Passing by the copper house and the bronze stele, he did not stop, intent on descending the mountain quickly. The terrain gradually flattened further down, allowing him to increase his pace.

It took a long time, and by the time Chu Feng reached the foot of the mountain, the red sun had already set in the west.

Fortunately, the three extraordinary creatures did not pursue him, still battling on the summit.

Chu Feng was drenched in sweat. Engaging in such intense activity on such a high mountain, even with his excellent physique, left him feeling utterly exhausted.

Overwhelmed by fatigue, he sat at the foot of the mountain, gasping for breath. Long after, he could still hear his heart pounding wildly. He guzzled water from his bottle.

Looking back at the mountain behind him, it truly seemed like a mystery.

The Xiwang Bronze Stele, the mysterious copper house, and the copper mountain itself—was the majestic mountain truly made of bronze inside?

If it were possible, he genuinely wished to peel back the mountain's soil layers and examine its true interior.

This mountain was just one part of the Kunlun range. What secrets did this area truly hold?

"I need to leave quickly. It would be incredibly dangerous if those three creatures came down."

Several days prior, an earthquake had occurred, leaving many large fissures on the mountain, and the base was no exception. Chu Feng carefully avoided them as he walked.

Inadvertently, he spotted a stone in a crevice. It was about three inches tall, perfectly square, and remarkably regular in shape—a rare find.

Chu Feng casually picked it up and continued on his way.

He wondered if it was his imagination, but all along the way, Chu Feng felt something subtly unusual within his body. Occasionally, he would sense a faint warm current flowing through his flesh.

If he tried to focus on it, it would vanish, only to reappear inadvertently if he paid it no mind.

Was it an illusion, or an allergic reaction?

He was momentarily doubtful. Was his perception getting muddled?

"It started with this hand."

He opened his left hand; the first sensation had been in his left palm, but there was nothing visible there.

"Four petals mysteriously withered in my left hand."

As Chu Feng walked, he mulled over the incident, feeling it wasn't so simple. There was something peculiar about it that made him uneasy.

The petals had emitted white mist and flecks of light; it was bizarre no matter how he looked at it.

The bronze Kunlun Mountain behind him had truly challenged his existing beliefs today, subverting them and forcing him to reconsider many things.

"Those three creatures are extraordinary, and they were fighting over the flower on the tree, so it should be harmless."

Although he had reservations, Chu Feng felt that the flower should be harmless to the body. Otherwise, why would it provoke such a fierce, life-and-death struggle among rare beasts?

He shook his head, deciding not to think about it for now, and strode towards the nomadic settlement.

Under the cover of night, the vast plateau was exceptionally quiet. The occasional distant roar of a beast only deepened the sense of emptiness and desolation.

Chu Feng stayed overnight at a nomad's home, deciding to begin his journey back the next day.

That night, he quietly read a book, simultaneously trying to sense the warm current he had felt earlier. It was elusive, seeming to appear and disappear, and he wondered if it portended any changes.

After a long time, he sighed softly, "Let nature take its course."

This was because, after countless attempts, he found that the more he tried to pay attention and focus on it, the less he could perceive it. Conversely, if he ignored it, he could vaguely sense it.

"Pollen, catalyst."

Chu Feng softly uttered these words; he suddenly recalled something.

When he graduated and left school, Lin Nuoyi's family had sent a car to pick her up. He vaguely remembered hearing these words mentioned, but they were too far away for him to hear clearly.

Although they had broken up, he still wanted to see her off at the time. However, seeing Lin's family look at him with slight indifference, Chu Feng simply waved and left.

Slightly lost in thought, he inadvertently noticed a stone beside him.

"This stone's shape is remarkably regular."

He weighed the stone in his tent. Although it was a cuboid, its edges were not sharp; they were slightly smooth, as if polished, somewhat rounded.

Upon closer inspection, the stone actually had faint patterns. Were these naturally formed?

The patterns were very faint, easily overlooked without close examination.

"Are these man-made markings?"

At the foot of Kunlun Mountain, he hadn't paid it any mind. He had simply thought its shape was regular and picked it up casually. All the way back, thinking about the copper mountain, he had absently tossed it in his hand and brought it back with him.

Now, he suddenly realized that this stone was somewhat special.

Chu Feng washed the stone clean and examined it carefully under the lamplight.

The stone was three inches tall, grayish-brown, and had very faint patterns encircling it, resembling vines or natural markings, looking very ancient.

Was it an old artifact left by an ancient tribe? He mused.

Chu Feng turned the stone over and over, running his fingers over the markings. Suddenly, there was a soft *click*, a sound that was slightly jarring in the quiet night.