Chapter 957: Forbidden Land Talisman Paper in Hand

Fresh air surged in, dispelling the lingering scent of blood from the colossal golden beast that had fallen on the vast prairie behind Chu Feng. Auspicious clouds drifted across the sky, distant mountains were picturesque, and the fragrant blossoms of ancient peach trees nearby filled the air.

Chu Feng took a deep breath, stepped out of the prairie, and through the woodland. He arrived at a deeper part of the forbidden zone, finally shaking off his pursuers.

Over the past decade, he had lost count of how many saint-level creatures he had slain. From silver winged dragons to six-legged Earth Hounds and beyond, saintly beings fell almost constantly.

His battle attire was tattered, and his body was stained with blood. The sword he once wielded had long since shattered. Now, he carried a golden bone club, primitive yet incredibly sturdy, forged from the most vital part of a super saint beast.

The Little Vermilion Bird's eyes sparkled, much stronger than before, its gaze sharp and spirited. In mid-air, it resembled a small crimson sun, radiating fiery red light.

Chu Feng unfolded the beast hide map, consulting the Lame Heavenly Venerate's deductions and observations concerning the forbidden zone's mountain ranges, to chart their course and pinpoint the talisman's location.

After a decade of constant battle, Chu Feng had long shed his youthful innocence. He had once consumed a divine medicine, reverting to the appearance of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, but now he had returned to his prime.

His physique was slender yet immensely strong, every inch of his skin subtly radiated divine essence. The energy stored within his cells, once unleashed, could unleash cataclysms comparable to mountains crumbling and tsunamis raging!

It was precisely through a decade of unceasing combat, cultivation, and profound understanding of the path of physical evolution that he managed to transcend his past. He had broken free from the bleak life he endured after losing both his parents and many relatives and friends.

Now, he had regained his sharp edge and was brimming with fighting spirit.

As Chu Feng advanced, he bypassed a peculiar region. Not a blade of grass grew there, the soil was dark red, the earth cracked and parched. The spiritual energy in this area was so faint it was virtually nonexistent, a truly bizarre phenomenon.

It was well known that this forbidden zone was saturated with abundant essence of heaven and earth, yet this silent place stood out as an anomaly.

While spiritual energy was normal elsewhere, this specific area was like a vacuum, seemingly isolated from the outside world.

The Little Vermilion Bird was also perplexed, but sensing no danger, it asked Chu Feng why they were taking a detour.

Chu Feng's expression grew solemn. He had encountered descriptions of this type of terrain in the legacy left by the Saint Master, and had also glimpsed it when the stone box glowed, identifying it as a place of great peril.

"Boundless red earth, the ultimate end of all Dharma," Chu Feng gravely informed it.

He took out a ten-thousand-year-old medicinal plant from his bag, which he had gathered along the way. Its fragrance was potent, and its medicinal properties were incredibly strong. Yet, he now cast it onto the dark red soil.

In an instant, the plant withered, lost all its spiritual energy, and finally disintegrated into dust, which a gentle breeze then swept away, leaving no trace.

"How overbearing!" The Little Vermilion Bird exclaimed in surprise.

"More overbearing than you can imagine!" Chu Feng replied gravely.

In the distance, creatures were lurking, but Chu Feng paid them no mind. As he guided the Little Vermilion Bird around the area, a white-eyed wolf suddenly lunged out, emitting a saintly aura. It attacked them from behind.

The wolf was entirely silver-white; even its eyes were pure white. Like the creatures they had encountered previously, it possessed no true consciousness, endowed solely with vitality and a bloodthirsty instinct, functioning as a biochemical killing tool.

With one claw, it tore through the void, aiming for Chu Feng's back.

However, Chu Feng's cultivation had reached an extraordinary level. After ten years of evolution, he was invincible at the saint realm!

Without even turning his head, he subtly shifted his body to the left, causing the white-eyed wolf to miss its strike. He then seized its neck, and with a forceful throw, hurled it dozens of miles away, where it crashed into the red earth.

The subsequent sight chilled the Little Vermilion Bird to the bone, its large eyes filled with terror, causing it to instinctively recoil.

"A roar..."

The saintly wolf only managed a single, piteous howl, before it withered away. Its immense vital energy and blood were completely absorbed by the earth.

In an instant, it appeared to age a hundred thousand years, its body cracked, then transformed into brittle bones, its fur decaying and vanishing.

"What just happened?" The Little Vermilion Bird cried out in shock, finally comprehending the true horror of this red earth.

"It's the Land of Doomed Dharma, and it has reached its absolute limit," Chu Feng explained gravely. "It devours all energy; even rules and order are absorbed by its surface."

This is an extraordinarily peculiar terrain, a绝地 born from the great natural forces of heaven and earth. Once caught within it, even a god would wither and perish.

However, on the silver paper left by the Saint Master, which contained the ultimate legacy of the spatial domain, it was also mentioned that such a place could potentially be man-made.

This prospect was rather terrifying!

Many planets, even entire starfields and universes, are destined to face an era of dwindling Dharma. Could this be man-made?

However, the prevailing view was that the advent of a Dharma-ending era resulted from the natural evolution of heaven and earth itself.

"The Land of Doomed Dharma represents the extreme," Chu Feng stated. "If a planet truly transforms into this state, it's no longer just a Dharma-ending era; it's the end of the world!"

Chu Feng provided a brief explanation, knowing that the Little Vermilion Bird wouldn't comprehend too much detail. Over the past decade, Chu Feng had also seized opportunities to study spatial domains, though not as frequently as he fought.

The vast prairie, teeming with countless fierce beasts, had kept him constantly on his guard.

"If one doesn't understand this and recklessly ventures into that red earth, it would be truly tragic," the Little Vermilion Bird shivered with lingering fear. Its own mother had met a tragic end after blindly entering the terrain of Fallen Phoenix Slope.

After bypassing this area, Chu Feng's fiery golden eyes immediately blazed when he saw a stretch of mountains ahead, transforming into interwoven symbols that shimmered in the void.

"Divine medicine!"

The divine medicine in this realm was extraordinary, far more potent than any in the netherworld. Nourished by Yang Qi, it was truly remarkable.

Chu Feng was certain that if he could acquire it, the order runes contained within that ancient herb would undoubtedly enable him to instantly ascend to the Illumination realm.

However, after staring at it for a long time, he sighed in resignation, realizing he couldn't acquire it. Drawn by a small silver tree, and gazing at its silvery fruits, Chu Feng almost overlooked the mountain's strategic layout.

"This is Heaven-Breaking Peak, imbued with soaring killing runes," Chu Feng sighed. "Records state that powerful cultivators of old took nature as their mentor, emulating the grand principles of heaven and earth. Many sword dao principles were indeed comprehended from terrains like Heaven-Breaking Peak."

This type of terrain remains harmless as long as its tranquility isn't disturbed. However, once someone steps onto it, disrupting its natural equilibrium, it will unleash an overwhelming surge of killing intent, obliterating all nearby.

This made Chu Feng envious. Firstly, he coveted the divine medicine. Secondly, he yearned for this terrain, for long-term observation of it could lead to the comprehension of ultimate sword dao!

Unfortunately, he had no time to linger. Furthermore, this was a place of enlightenment reserved for evolvers above the God level; merely observing Heaven-Breaking Peak would be futile without reaching that tier.

Chu Feng felt somewhat disheartened. It wasn't that he hadn't seen valuable things within the forbidden zone, but seeing them out of reach, unobtainable, truly gnawed at him.

This divine medicine would undoubtedly propel him into the Illumination domain!

If it were a divine medicine from the Yang realm, its effects would be even more profound. In the Yang realm, divine medicines are associated with the God level; consuming one allows an individual to become a god!

In a complete vast world, with perfected order, the fragmented rules contained within divine medicines are naturally more abundant, making their effects many times stronger.

Chu Feng's thoughts briefly drifted. He led the Little Vermilion Bird away, but after only a few hundred steps, he sensed something was amiss, and his hairs stood on end.

In an instant, the stone box glowed faintly. He pulled the Little Vermilion Bird into its internal space, then decisively snapped the box shut.

At the last moment, he saw a replica of himself, identical in every way, except for a sinister grin at the corner of its mouth. It exuded a cruel and malevolent aura, and moved to strike him with deadly intent.

The stone box was flung away, colliding with the mountains. Clearly, it had taken a hit just moments before.

However, silence then descended. There was no further movement.

Inside the stone box, silence reigned. Chu Feng's face was etched with solemnity, a shiver running down his spine. How could there be another version of himself?

"Did you see that?" Chu Feng asked the Little Vermilion Bird.

"I did," the Little Vermilion Bird whispered timidly. It was uneasy, wondering how there could be two Chu Fengs. The thought of accidentally being trapped in the box with an imposter sent a chill through its body.

After a long wait with no movement, Chu Feng cautiously opened the stone box, peering out through the crack. He watched as another version of himself abruptly materialized nearby, and charged directly towards them!

He was truly terrified, for he felt that the other's aura was identical to his own, and their strength was remarkably similar.

This eerie First Forbidden Zone made Chu Feng's hair stand on end.

He closed the stone box, and once again, silence settled outside.

Chu Feng sat cross-legged within the stone box's space, pondering silently. Finally, he instructed the Little Vermilion Bird, "You wait here. Don't go out!"

"No, what if you lose? If that malevolent spirit comes in and stays with me, that scene would be too terrifying..." The Little Vermilion Bird's large, clear eyes were filled with dread, showing its fear.

"What nonsense are you spouting? I'll go destroy him!" Chu Feng darted out with a whoosh, swiftly closing and stowing the stone box. Almost simultaneously, the other Chu Feng charged forward, a cold smile playing on his lips, and swung a golden bone club directly at him.

Chu Feng's eyebrows twitched. He, too, wielded a golden bone club, and met the strike head-on with fierce resolve.

With just that single clash, heaven and earth trembled violently. Saint-level energy cascaded forth, and the mountainous terrain sank dozens of miles, as they plunged into the newly formed crater, relentlessly attacking each other.

Had this not been a forbidden zone, a single swing of the club might have utterly reshaped the landscape.

The two clashed ferociously, employing terrifying techniques. Blood splattered as Chu Feng sustained injuries, and the other figure also had half its body stained with blood.

However, certain areas remained untouched by their blows, as earth and stone manifested astonishing, mysterious symbols.

"Whoosh!"

Chu Feng surged to the surface to engage in a decisive battle. His face grim, he murmured, "It is indeed this kind of terrain!"

He recognized it. On the silver page that the Saint Master had unexpectedly acquired and not fully deciphered, there was a record: 'Mountain and River Reflection.'

Mountains and rivers contained peculiar cosmic patterns, acting like mirrors, capable of reflecting all of a creature's divine abilities and laws. It was truly terrifying.

If a group of creatures entered this terrain, only the strongest among them would be reflected.

It could be said that the figure was Chu Feng's reflection; he was battling against the very rules he himself had comprehended. These mountains were so bizarre that they seemed to have even constructed a physical body for his reflection.

However, Chu Feng knew it was merely an embodiment of laws. Though it appeared to be flesh and and blood, it was, in reality, constructed from order and principles.

Initially, these runes almost deceived his fiery golden eyes, which spoke volumes about their formidable nature.

Chu Feng did not shrink back or flee. On the path of evolution, sometimes the greatest enemy is oneself. He would eventually face terrifying individuals from the Yang realm, thus, he needed to hold himself to strict standards, constantly striving to surpass his own limits.

This battle was somewhat tragic. Chu Feng and his reflection fought until mountains crumbled, the earth cracked, and even the sun and moon seemed to lose their light. In this duel against himself, he constantly re-evaluated and probed his shortcomings.

Finally, he ended the battle, though he himself nearly lost half his life.

To defeat such a reflected body, employing cunning and unconventional methods was optimal. After fighting with 'himself' and gaining sufficient experience, Chu Feng naturally didn't want to exhaust his true self to death. He thus ended the battle with an unorthodox approach.

He decisively rushed out of this area, not wanting his reflection to reappear shortly after.

On the subsequent path, Chu Feng proceeded with extreme caution, bypassing numerous dangerous terrains. He averted deadly calamities, for to have ventured into them would have meant certain death.

He now felt a deep appreciation. The silver paper left by the Saint Master was incredibly useful, as some of the terrains described allowed him to preemptively identify what lay ahead.

Although he couldn't neutralize these dangers, not having reached that level of mastery, simply knowing the nature of the terrain in advance allowed him to avoid it.

Without that silver paper, he wouldn't have recognized any of them.

Naturally, the mountains and rivers depicted on the stone box also served as references. Some terrain within this First Forbidden Zone bore resemblance to what was shown on the box.

Most spatial domain researchers could not access information of this level, and would naturally stumble into these dangers unknowingly.

Chu Feng sighed with emotion; the silver paper and the stone box, combined, were akin to a safety map!

However, a few days later, his smile vanished. Ahead lay vast stretches of interconnected deadly zones, layer upon layer. This time, even recognizing them offered no path forward; advancement was impossible.

"We're here. This must be the First Heaven of the Nine Heavens of the Forbidden Zone!" The Little Vermilion Bird's voice trembled.

"What do you mean?" Chu Feng turned to look at it.

"Didn't Grandpa Stone Fox tell you?" the Little Vermilion Bird replied. "The central area of the First Forbidden Zone has nine layers in total. We are now truly approaching the forbidden zone's depths."

Chu Feng only knew that the core of the First Forbidden Zone had the same time flow as the Yang realm. He had no idea it was divided into the so-called Nine Heavens.

For a moment, his face turned green. After walking for so long, having been trapped on the vast prairie for a decade, and having bypassed many deadly regions, he was only now approaching the forbidden zone's depths? Had he been in the... outer regions all this time?!

He felt an urge to curse!

There was no path forward. Even if he were to become a Saint Master in spatial domain research one day, it still wouldn't be enough. He would remain incapable of breaking into those deadly zones.

A few miles away, the legendary terrifying terrains, each with the power to suppress the heavens, were interconnected. They completely severed the realms of yin and yang, life and death. Under normal circumstances, entry was impossible.

"Hey, wait a moment!" Chu Feng spread out the beast hide map, a deduction map given to him by the old fox.

"The talisman might appear in this area, not within the Nine Heavens of the Forbidden Zone!" Chu Feng wondered.

On the beast hide map, the old fox had drawn a black skull with a twisted sense of humor. Chu Feng had originally assumed it marked a specific dangerous terrain to be wary of, but he never expected it to represent the entirety of the Forbidden Zone's Nine Heavens.

"Let's search!" Chu Feng and the Little Vermilion Bird began their search.

"Over there, a table!" Outside the Nine Heavens of the Forbidden Zone, there stood a dilapidated stone table, crudely carved from raw rock, both rough and ancient.

One of its legs was notably shorter, as if it, like the Lame Heavenly Venerate, was incomplete.

What most captivated Chu Feng was the presence of two talismans on the table. One was pristine white and translucent, glowing from within. The other was emerald green, pulsating with vibrant life force.

"Two talismans!" Chu Feng's heart quickened. "They weren't inside the Nine Heavens; they were outside!"

They both tried to move them with mental power, but it proved ineffective!

Furthermore, within the First Heaven of the Forbidden Zone's Nine Heavens, there was another table. This was a jade table, and on it lay another talisman, shimmering with purple light and emanating a profound sanctity.

"Be careful!" Chu Feng brought the Little Vermilion Bird into the stone box, and moved forward inch by inch. Their goal was the two talismans on the stone table with the short leg.

Things proceeded with unexpected smoothness. Ultimately, Chu Feng successfully grasped both talismans!

They rapidly retreated, and encountered no dangers along the way.

"That was surprisingly easy!" Chu Feng exclaimed in surprise. The lame old fox had mentioned that a fair number of talismans had accumulated and should be obtainable. Could he have been… not lying?

"Someone!" The Little Vermilion Bird tugged at his sleeve, pointing towards the Nine Heavens of the Forbidden Zone.

In an instant, Chu Feng's hairs stood on end. His eyes widened in shock, a loss of composure he had never experienced before.

He saw a hunchbacked old man, dressed in gray, slowly emerge from the deepest part of the forbidden zone. He had come from the Ninth Heaven, arriving at the First Heaven.

He was trembling, appearing as though he might fall at any moment. In his hand, he held a crimson talisman, as vibrant as the evening glow. Ancient and decrepit, he shuffled to the jade table, and placed the crimson talisman upon it, right next to the purple one.

There was now an additional talisman, brought directly from the deepest recesses of the forbidden zone!

Witnessing this scene with its own eyes, the Little Vermilion Bird was utterly astonished.

Then, the hunchbacked old man looked up, and offered a smile to the outside world. Chu Feng instantly felt a chill run down his spine. To him, that seemingly benign smile appeared utterly sinister!

Because with his fiery golden eyes, he saw that this hunchbacked old man was entirely composed of grey matter. And this being was actually responsible for delivering talismans to the outside?!