Chapter 75: 惊怒

Chu Feng was excited. He had thought the three seeds wouldn't change anytime soon, so he was surprised by this development just before leaving.

Carefully, he placed the stone box on his desk and examined it closely.

Inside, the three seeds were buried in the strange soil, largely visible because the soil was exceptionally translucent, like many jade particles stuck together.

Chu Feng clearly saw that the plumpest seed was behaving unusually, emitting a green, shimmering light that seemed to overflow from the edges of the stone box, like water spilling over. All the strange phenomena were caused by it!

"Is it going to sprout?" Chu Feng hoped, finally seeing this day arrive, his expectations not unmet. He hadn't expected the turning point to occur within the stone box itself.

The stone box was three inches tall and cubic, but its edges appeared slightly rounded, as if polished. It looked very ancient, with some faint patterns that were hard to discern without close inspection.

"Does the stone box possess some other mystery, capable of making the seeds sprout?" He dared not remove the seeds to experiment. Having finally waited for this day, taking them out now and replanting them in the ground would be too reckless.

Chu Feng was delighted, feeling a sense of joy akin to a good harvest. The green light inside the stone box pulsed for a moment before receding, but the strange soil became even more crystalline, and the seed glowed faintly. Its vitality was growing, but the stone box concealed it, sealing the surging power within and preventing it from leaking out.

"It truly is strange; this stone box is extraordinary!" Chu Feng was convinced that this ancient stone box had a significant origin. He had overlooked it in the past; if he had known its extraordinary nature, he would have used it much sooner.

Soon, he thought of the yellow ox. This change occurred right after it had left. If the yellow ox knew what was happening now, it would probably be furious and kick its heels. After the battle at White Snake Ridge, it had waited there for nearly twenty days, but gained nothing. The stone box being so miraculous was completely unexpected.

"But, I should leave now!" Chu Feng frowned. His parents had urged him many times, calling him daily, deeply concerned about his safety. Moreover, the Black Ox had warned him when it left that the world would undergo drastic changes, and it was best to make plans early. Even it was returning to Flame Mountain ahead of schedule.

"Anyway, I have the stone box, so I'll just take it with me on the journey!" Chu Feng decided to set off.

Before leaving, Chu Feng went to the cold weapon workshop to bid farewell to Old Master Zhao. "Old Master, it's no longer peaceful here; there might be danger. Why don't you come with me?" he suggested.

The old man shook his head, unwilling to leave. His body was now incredibly robust, possessing immense strength far beyond ordinary people. Chu Feng wanted to leave the Great Thunderclap Bow for him for self-defense, worried about something happening in Qingyang Town.

"Little Chu, you should take it. You want to go to Shuntian City, and the journey is too far—over a thousand kilometers. The world isn't peaceful now; it's hard to say what might happen on the way."

In fact, Old Master Zhao didn't approve of him returning. Over a thousand kilometers was too far, and now there were many ferocious birds and mutated beasts everywhere. Traveling alone was very dangerous. But Chu Feng's mind was made up; he wanted to rush to Shuntian City immediately. This was because Chu Feng had told his parents he was very close to Shuntian, and if he didn't appear soon, his previous white lies would be exposed.

"Little Chu, take care!" Old Master Zhao saw him off.

Chu Feng also made a trip to the antique shop, giving his house keys to Uncle Liu and telling him that his freezer was full of beast meat and shouldn't be wasted. He had regularly shared wild game with Old Master Zhao and Uncle Liu during this time, but now it was time for him to leave.

"Little Chu, you can't travel alone; it's too dangerous!" Uncle Liu said, full of worry.

"An extraordinary person is traveling with me!" Chu Feng said his goodbyes.

He left Qingyang Town and headed north. Now, he could cover one hundred meters in just 1.1 seconds, moving at lightning speed. He strode forward, and in a short time, he was dozens of kilometers away. However, this speed couldn't be sustained. It was too fast, and the exertion was intense; his whole body grew hot, and maintaining it for long would cause problems.

Nevertheless, Chu Feng didn't stop immediately. He kept sprinting, wanting to see his limits. Along the way, he rushed past like a gale, stirring up dust and stones. As time passed, he began to slow down, gradually reducing his pace. Wisps of white mist steamed from his head, and his body surface was burning hot.

An hour later, Chu Feng stopped. "I ran about one hundred kilometers."

This was an astonishing speed. If word got out, it would cause a huge uproar that the human body could be so powerful, not much slower than a vehicle. "1.1 seconds per hundred meters, but I can only maintain it for a moment; it's hard to sustain," Chu Feng shook his head. If he could maintain that speed the entire time, it would be terrifying. He was sweating profusely; such intense exertion consumed a great deal of energy.

Walking slowly for over an hour, he felt significantly recovered and started sprinting again, still incredibly fast, with the wind whistling past his ears. Along the way, various sceneries rushed backward! In the past, this would absolutely be considered a superhuman feat. How could a human body be so fast?

The roads were still there; even where there wasn't a paved road, dirt paths continued. Otherwise, sprinting like this through mountains and forests would certainly be impossible. At such high speeds, it would be easy to collide with rocks, huge trees, and other obstacles.

This time, Chu Feng stopped after sprinting for over forty minutes. His skin was burning hot, his body surface had turned bright red, and a large amount of white mist emanated from him, indicating immense exertion. "I can't travel like this!" Chu Feng felt that this was too much exertion. If he encountered any ferocious birds or beasts with his stamina depleted, he would be in trouble.

Given his physique, covering several hundred kilometers in a day was easy for him; he wouldn't feel tired at all. If he ran at full exhaustion, the distance covered would undoubtedly be terrifying, but accidents might occur.

The road was extremely desolate, with no signs of human habitation for dozens or even hundreds of kilometers. This would have been unimaginable in the past; before the world changed, there were no such vast uninhabited areas. In some places, the forests were dense, and beast roars occasionally echoed from the mountains.

An hour later, as Chu Feng was walking at a steady pace, he suddenly felt a powerful gust of wind, and a large shadow blotted out the sky. With a whoosh, he darted over ten meters away, fully utilizing his superhuman physique to leave his previous spot.

Bang! A large black and white bird landed, its talons striking the ground, sending earth and stones flying and stirring up a strong gust of wind.

"A magpie?!" Chu Feng was astonished. This large bird was over five meters long. If one ignored its size, it looked exactly like the magpies he had seen before. Clearly, this was a mutated magpie, possessing extraordinary power.

Old Master Zhao and Uncle Liu's worries were justified. The journey was too dangerous, with various mutated beasts and ferocious birds. If an ordinary person were to travel, they would surely die. This magpie was formidable. It soared into the air then dove again, fiercer than a hawk, extending its large talons towards Chu Feng's skull. If he were struck by its talons, several bloody holes would surely appear. Those gleaming talons were incredibly sharp and possessed immense force.

Whoosh! Chu Feng's figure blurred, and he was ten meters away.

Crack! A huai tree as thick as a water bucket was snapped by the magpie's impact. It now had copper tendons and iron bones, possessing frightening strength.

"Are all fierce birds and mutated beasts this strong?" Chu Feng frowned, observing the magpie's methods, trying to gauge how powerful it truly was. He found that it was harder to deal with than an ordinary extraordinary person. In a direct confrontation, this magpie could probably kill several extraordinary people. Evidently, this magpie possessed intelligence no less than a human's. After several failed attacks, it decisively gave up, about to soar into the sky, fearing encountering danger.

"I'm hungry, and I haven't had lunch yet, so don't go." Chu Feng flicked his hand, and the black short sword flew out, piercing the magpie with a thud, causing it to fall.

Soon after, smoke rose from the spot. Chu Feng roasted the mutated magpie—only part of its wings, of course, as the bird was too large to eat in its entirety. The aroma of the meat was enticing and perfectly cooked. However, before Chu Feng could enjoy it, a foul, fishy smell assailed his nostrils, and a monster burst forth from the mountainous terrain.

It was as large as a truck, entirely black and covered in spines, appearing extremely ferocious—a true behemoth.

"A hedgehog?!" Chu Feng stared in disbelief. This mutation was too outrageous; a hedgehog had grown so large. It bared its snow-white tusks and charged forward. Still more than ten meters away, the giant hedgehog suddenly stopped, then let out a fierce howl.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… From its body, long black spines flew out, one after another, like arrows or iron spears, densely packed and flying towards Chu Feng.

Bang, bang, bang… Chu Feng, holding the roasted meat, quickly dodged. The area he had been in saw rocks splintering, and large trees were pierced. The black spines had astonishing power.

"Even a hedgehog is this powerful?" Chu Feng was amazed that this creature could shoot its hard spines to kill enemies in such a manner. Ordinary extraordinary people would definitely not be able to defend against it! He didn't engage in close combat, not wanting to waste energy. He took out the Great Thunderclap Bow, shot an arrow that pierced the hedgehog's head, causing its massive body to fall to the ground with a thud, blood gushing out.

Chu Feng's expression was grave. He realized that the world had completely changed, becoming increasingly dangerous. Ordinary people would find it impossible to travel in the wilderness.

After his meal, he immediately left the area. Not long after he walked away, he heard low beast roars from behind him. Several monsters rushed out, eagerly gnawing on the corpses of the magpie and the hedgehog, a very bloody sight.

"There are more and more mutated beasts!" Chu Feng frowned, his heart heavy. This was no longer the world he knew. The wilderness was becoming increasingly perilous, with various mutated beasts and ferocious birds appearing.

***

Jiangning, located in Jiangnan, was a very prosperous city, one of the largest in the country. The headquarters of Heavenly God Biotech was situated there.

The Emerald Lake Bay Villa area boasted an excellent environment, with numerous large trees that several adults couldn't encircle, adorned with lakes and unique rock formations. Its scenery surpassed many scenic spots.

Inside one of the villas, the decor was exquisite and opulent, like a palace. Xu Wanyi sat sullenly on the sofa, then angrily threw a throw pillow heavily onto the floor. Her normally seductive face now bore a cold expression.

Lin Yehan walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Wanyi composed herself slightly, biting her red lips, and said with displeasure, "No matter what, I'm Nuoyi's aunt, yet she spoke coldly and rudely to me."

"Nuoyi is very intelligent; she wouldn't normally be so disrespectful," Lin Yehan said, surprised.

Xu Wanyi, with her phoenix eyes and vibrant red lips, was usually very charming, but now she wasn't smiling. She said, "When Wanqing died, I was heartbroken and wanted to find out who killed her. But as soon as I made a move, Nuoyi immediately reprimanded me. I'm her aunt, yet she gave me no quarter."

"What exactly did you do?" Lin Yehan frowned. Based on his understanding, Lin Nuoyi wouldn't normally act this way.

"Last time, you and I went to see that Chu Feng. I didn't think much of it then, but after returning, I felt something was amiss, so I sent people to Shuntian, that large city in the north, to investigate his parents..." She glanced at Lin Yehan, seeing his slight silence, and softened her tone. "I know Chu Feng and Nuoyi had some past connection, but she shouldn't have been so rude."

"Those people you sent, were they going to harm Chu Feng's parents?" Lin Yehan asked.

"Of course not! They only just made contact. Nuoyi must have found out somehow; she immediately reprimanded me and contacted people in Shuntian to drive my people away," Xu Wanyi said, annoyed.

"You shouldn't have involved his parents. If there's an issue with Chu Feng, you should have targeted him directly," Lin Yehan said.

"Why are you so biased towards Nuoyi? She reprimanded me, and you're still blaming me," Xu Wanyi complained. But she quickly changed her tune, walking over and embracing Lin Yehan's arm, saying, "Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong. I was a bit reckless this time."

***

On the road, Chu Feng called his parents, telling them he would arrive in Shuntian in three or four days. During the call, he distinctly felt that his mother's mood was off.

"Mom, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked.

"It's nothing. Just come back quickly. It's not peaceful now, and your father and I are very worried about you. You're not lying to us, are you? Are you really close to Shuntian?"

"I'm almost there; don't worry," Chu Feng said, sensing something was wrong at home.

"Dad, tell me, is something wrong at home?" Chu Feng called his father and asked seriously.

Finally, his father told him, no longer hiding it. That day, he and his wife had been threatened and intimidated. Those individuals even attempted to use force, intending to take them away.

"Who were they?!" Chu Feng demanded.

"They seemed to be a few extraordinary people, all quite unusual," his father told him.

Chu Feng gripped his communicator tightly, coldness flashing in his eyes. He dreaded such things happening and wished he could rush back immediately. He acutely realized that this was most likely directed at him. These extraordinary people actually tried to harm his parents. He was incredibly furious; this had crossed his ultimate line.

"Later, a few other people appeared and sternly rebuked those extraordinary individuals, driving them away. We are truly grateful to them," Chu Feng's father told him.

"Dad, Mom, don't be afraid. Those people won't appear again for a while. Wait for me to come back!" Chu Feng ended the call.

He put away his communicator, startling beams of light in his eyes. He was both shocked and enraged, a terrifying killing intent emanating from him. Chu Feng hurried on his way, forcing himself to calm down. He knew this matter would not end peacefully!