Chapter 694: Favorable Situation

Massive boulders were strewn about, making the place resemble a stone maze. Dense white mist permeated the area, making it easy to get lost if one ventured in rashly.

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

Many stones were piled together in clusters, resembling pyramids, while others were stacked like small stone mountains. The energy here was incredibly rich, many times stronger than that of renowned mountains.

“I feel like I’m about to ascend and become an immortal! My body feels light, and my spirit is strong, arr-arr!” the old donkey brayed, all four of its hooves glowing as if about to lift off the ground.

He greedily absorbed the iridescent glow and mist, his entire body becoming crystalline, his fur gleaming as if coated in metal, sensing his newfound power.

“Don’t be careless,” Chu Feng cautioned. “The Essence-Absorption Realm is crucial. Once you break through, you can subsist on mist and spiritual energy, just like the immortals of ancient legends. Occasionally, wondrous techniques will emerge spontaneously, and divine abilities will manifest on their own.”

Chu Feng urged them not to relax, but to experience it with their hearts.

He was indeed worried, as some of these great demons had been breaking through continuously of late. He feared their evolutionary foundations might be unstable. Even if Heavenly God Liquid had resolved hidden dangers, their understanding and insights were still lacking.

“Brother, you don’t need to worry; there’s something you might have overlooked,” the great black ox said, uncharacteristically serious. “Take me for example: my spiritual awareness awakened centuries ago. While I lacked opportunities to obtain evolutionary fruits prematurely, I’ve been recovering alongside the world. To put it more directly, we are spirit beings. The fragments of order from this planet have been nurturing us since our spiritual roots were activated.”

He revealed a truth Chu Feng had never considered. Strictly speaking, this group of great demons were among the earliest spiritual beings to emerge on Earth.

They had long since become spirit beings, but before the dramatic changes in the world, they couldn't rapidly enhance their physiques, lacking the necessary pollen and elixirs.

However, with the mother planet’s laws recovering and fragments of order surging, this process was most effective for sentient beings, already permeating their bodies.

In essence, this was the true nature of how spirit beings came into existence!

“So, you mean you all have deep accumulations, having endured the baptism of long ages, and have recovered alongside Earth, containing fragments of the rules of the new era that began after the Dharma-ending Age?” Chu Feng asked, a strange look on his face. Then, he was suddenly stunned, his mind racing with many thoughts, and he instantly became interested.

“Essentially, yes,” the great black ox nodded.

“How do you know this?” Chu Feng asked, curious.

Ouyang Feng spoke, glancing sideways at him. “The ancient sages’ notes I brought from Immemorial Mountain contain discussions about the changes that would occur at the end of the Dharma-ending Age.”

The yellow ox nodded, saying, “Actually, it’s not just us; it’s the same for you. Why is it said that Earth’s revival brings infinite fortune, especially after the world completely transforms, where cultivating here for one year is equivalent to ten or even a hundred years elsewhere? It’s because all living beings on this planet are rapidly activating the fragments of order contained within the mother star’s recovery, growing alongside it, which leads to rapid evolution.”

Chu Feng nodded, feeling it made perfect sense.

The Northeast Tiger said, “So, brother, you don’t need to worry about us. Look, apart from you and little Yellow and a few others, which one of us isn’t an old fellow with over a century of accumulation? The fragments of the mother star’s order contained within our bodies must be considerable. If we carefully introspect and comprehend, we will naturally achieve great things.”

These were all questions Chu Feng had never considered, and they greatly inspired him today, making him nod subconsciously.

This group of great demons were the most spiritually powerful beings on Earth. It was truly a miracle of life that they had lived for centuries during the Dharma-ending Age, a time when evolution was impossible.

“It’s all because of the fragments of order,” he sighed softly. Then, he felt happy for them, as it meant this group of great demons could go much further, and their power increase would be astonishing.

Upon closer inspection, even Wudang Grandmaster Wu Qifeng and the old Lama from the western region exhibited astonishing phenomena. These were all centenarians, effectively "spirit beings" who had aged into wisdom.

“So, everyone here has strong spiritual awareness, having activated their spiritual roots centuries ago and accumulated power until now?” Chu Feng asked with delight, letting out a long breath.

The great black ox said, “More than that, do you know about my hundreds of years wandering in Kunlun? I often stayed in monasteries, listening to eminent monks teach Buddhist Dharma and explain Zen. After being baptized by one monastery after another, my spiritual cultivation is not necessarily inferior to that of the old Lama.”

The Mastiff King also nodded, its experiences equally legendary. Also in the western region, for hundreds of years, it had moved from one monastery to another, serving as a sacred guardian beast.

In the Tibetan region, legends of sacred beasts related to the Kunlun Mountains had some connection to them.

“Heh heh…” The Northeast Tiger chuckled, saying, “For centuries, while I roamed Siberia and Northeast China, I used to herd wild boars and dig for aged ginseng to supplement my diet. I was more skilled than the most experienced herders and herbalists. Furthermore, I served as a mountain god in a dilapidated temple in the forest for a long time.”

Chu Feng’s expression was strange. “You were herding wild animals, digging for ginseng, and even serving as a mountain god centuries ago? You truly are a monster!”

Then, he looked at the others. Indeed, each of them was extraordinary, long having become spirit beings, and had accomplished many feats centuries ago that normal humans might not even dream of.

For instance, Hu Sheng’s grandfather, the Fox King, had countless legends about "Immortal Hu" circulating among the populace.

When it was the old donkey’s turn to speak, it bragged even more, saying, “I was born in the Jiangnan region, extensively studied literature, excelled in calligraphy and painting, and could even compose poetry and lyrics…”

“Go stand in the corner!” everyone scoffed in unison. This donkey was just too boastful.

The old donkey didn’t like it and became a bit agitated. “Seriously, during my years in the mountains, poetic inspiration often struck me. If you don’t believe me, listen: Arr-arr, Ox, you’re black as a ghost! Frog, your head is green! Horse, you have four legs! Donkey, you are a Heavenly Dragon asleep on Earth! How’s that?”

At that moment, the great black ox’s face turned even darker. The toad wanted to spit all over the old donkey’s face, while the Horse King nonchalantly stroked his shiny bald head.

Everyone truly couldn’t stand him and collectively urged him to shut up.

At this point, Zhou Quan, with his four horns, looked on the verge of tears, his face filled with gloom. “You’re all old monsters who have lived for hundreds of years, with many fragments of order in your bodies and deep accumulations. How has it turned around now, where I, a primate, am at the bottom of the pile?”

Chu Feng patted his shoulder, comforting him, “It’s alright, I’m like you; my accumulation isn’t deep either.”

“Not deep? You can already go into the cosmos and wreak havoc on various races,” Zhou Quan grumbled.

The Dragon Maiden smiled, saying, “Everyone, don’t get distracted, don’t interrupt your practice. Let’s quickly cultivate and stabilize the Essence-Absorption Realm.”

“That’s right, I can’t wait! I want to leave seclusion immediately and seek revenge on those foreign bastards who descended, especially those from the Spirit Race. And of course, there are also the local Unblemished Divine Body, and people from Penglai and Yingzhou.”

“Yes, let’s hurry! Once we leave seclusion, we must hunt them down and crush them in terms of realm and strength!”

A group of great demons roared with excitement and exhilaration, because they had been feeling stifled for too long.

Within the stone forest, there were clusters of glowing purple flowers, their flower buds as large as bowls. Auspicious energy and iridescent light steamed forth simultaneously, clearly containing a peculiar energy substance!

These flower buds were unique, as their petals bore Qilin patterns, which was truly astonishing!

What was more, as everyone breathed, some flower buds began to open, emitting faint sounds. Then, a rich fragrance wafted forth, so intoxicating that one could almost become lost in it.

Moreover, as the flower buds bloomed, iridescent light surged and immortal mist swirled, so intensely that when someone opened their mouth to breathe, the flower buds strangely released mist, light, and pollen that flew towards just one person at a time.

Fortunately, there were clusters upon clusters of Qilin flowers here, enough for all the great demons!

Evidently, this was one of the most precious gifts from the Qilin Nest Ruins.

The Qilin flowers were priceless, having sprouted from the prolonged residence of the Qilin, their growth fueled by its mingled vital blood and energy!

As the flower buds bloomed, Qilin light emanated from them!

Time passed, though no one knew how long.

The yellow ox and Ouyang Feng were the first to make breakthroughs. The yellow ox, as expected, glowed with brilliant golden light, radiating sacred splendor. The toad, however, experienced spasms, as if undergoing a transformation. But the final result was that its eyes became like golden lamps, and the golden spots on its body intensified, yet it remained a toad.

“Croak, damn it! Why didn’t I turn into a dragon or a phoenix? Still like this?!” Ouyang Feng was furious.

This was because he was a divine beast, born from an egg. When he first hatched, he resembled a dragon, then later transformed into a bird, and finally became a toad. He had thought that with further evolution, he would transform into other forms, becoming majestic and domineering. But the outcome… was still a tragedy this time.

“Don’t worry, you were cursed in the divine egg before you even hatched,” Chu Feng consoled. At first, the toad was touched, but then he heard Chu Feng continue, “Next time, try to become a frog, and the time after that, a crow. Eventually, you’ll fly up to a branch and transform into a phoenix.”

Ouyang Feng’s face instantly darkened. Then he glared sideways at Chu Feng, spitting wildly with sputtering sounds.

“Moooo…”

The great black ox’s fur glowed, jet-black and polished, as if cast from dark gold, emitting a dark sheen. Its entire body was strong and powerful, like a miniature primordial demonic mountain!

Its pair of large horns had fully grown, becoming even more robust. Various patterns appeared on its glossy black fur, manifestations of runes and its spiritual cultivation.

Next, the old grandmaster rose, practicing Tai Chi Quan. Black and white light steamed around him, his body alternately soft as a willow and fierce as thunder!

The old Lama resembled a golden Arhat, majestic and solemn, a divine halo appearing behind his head, radiating Buddhist light!

“Arr-arr… you alien bastards, you grandsons, just wait until I, this old donkey, get back and properly deal with you! Your grandpa has successfully defied the heavens; I can now absorb the essence of nature, cleansing my supreme donkey body with high-grade energy factors. Consolidation complete!”

“Hachoo!” Ouyang Feng sneezed, directly knocking the old donkey flying. His breath was too powerful, and a torrential "rain" of spit splattered everywhere.

The old donkey brayed loudly, bucking and fleeing wildly, but still ended up soaked like a drowned rat.

Two days later, everyone had completed their evolution and consolidation, even Chu Feng’s parents experienced a surge in strength.

Even Chu Feng underwent a minor evolution. He was close to the middle stage of the Essence-Absorption Realm, just a little short. In fact, he had devoured a vast amount of Qilin energy, but he was like an insatiable black hole!

A group of great demons in the Essence-Absorption Realm rubbed their fists, eager to fly back to the East Sea immediately!

“Let’s go, and kill them back!” Even the usually unconfident Zhou Quan smoothed back his slicked hair, shaking his four horns, and shouted about retaliating and capturing the aliens.

“Yes, we can go back now,” Chu Feng nodded. Then, before leaving, he began to set up an energy field to seal off the area. This was because there were still Qilin flowers here, which, with Earth's recovery, could evolve further and prove greatly useful in the future.

In addition, within the stone forest was a medicinal field with unique trees, which had already borne fruits capable of helping people evolve to the Visualization Realm.

Evidently, with time, fruits with even more potent medicinal effects would appear, and this place would become their medicinal garden in the future.

In fact, there were divine tree roots here, and once Earth fully recovered and restored its ancient aura, sacred medicines and divine fruits might grow here.

A large group of people boarded Chu Feng’s green bamboo boat, disappearing into the void as they headed towards the East Sea.

“Arr-arr, sighing at the ocean, marveling at the sea, poetic inspiration has struck this old donkey again! I really want to compose a poem!” The old donkey grinned, its large front teeth exposed, looking spirited.

But with two thuds, the great black ox first delivered a kick, followed by a blow from the toad’s technique. The old donkey immediately rolled its eyes and nearly fainted.

“Huh, Immemorial Mountain is being invaded! The aliens have brought a few more demonic prodigies. This time, damn it, let’s wipe them all out and kill them all in return!”

“Someone really landed on the island; they came at just the right time. Let’s kill them!”

The group of great demons showed no fear at all. Instead, they burst into laughter, their eyes gleaming with green light.

They had been feeling suppressed for a long time. Now, seeing the invaders from beyond attacking the island, intent on annihilating them, they were instantly energized, ready to turn the tables, hunt them down, and unleash a massacre.