Chapter 958: The World Is Mine

Chu Feng felt a chill run down his spine. How could he still encounter strange matter even in the deepest part of the first forbidden land? It seemed truly omnipresent and inescapable.

More critically, it had taken the form of an old servant in gray. What did that imply?

This was truly chilling!

The hunched old man hobbled away, looking frail and as if he might fall at any moment, swaying until he vanished into the depths of the Forbidden Land's Nine Heavens.

Little Vermilion Bird was also stunned. There were many legends about the first forbidden land in this world, but she had never heard of anyone residing deep within it and distributing talismans.

"This place can neutralize strange matter and offer new life?" Chu Feng murmured to himself. Yet, after seeing all this, why did he feel such dread?

The mountains were beautiful, golden springs gurgled, and ancient herbs exuded a rich fragrance. But the serene scenery of the nearby pure land couldn't bring Chu Feng peace; instead, it sent shivers down his spine.

"There are still two talismans in the first heaven of the forbidden land. Should we try for them?" Little Vermilion Bird asked. She hadn't discerned the true nature of the hunched old man, fearless in her ignorance.

The jade table wasn't far from them, only a few hundred meters from the limping, rough stone table outside. For an evolver, this was practically within arm's reach.

However, it was an extremely dangerous place. Chu Feng instantly recognized that the first heaven contained a "Myriad Snake Nest" formation. Once entered, the order within the mountains would unleash tens of thousands of light beams—golden rays and crimson glows intertwining—like myriad snakes pouring out of their dens, engulfing any creature that trespassed, even deities would perish!

In fact, Chu Feng was deeply tempted and very much wanted to try.

"What's that?" Chu Feng wondered. He and Little Vermilion Bird chose a low hill and gazed into the forbidden land. In the first heaven, there were some gold-like, stony substances.

"Deity Fruit Positions?!" Little Vermilion Bird exclaimed in surprise.

These were also known as Divine Cores. At the last moments of their lives, some deities, with dwindling lifespans, would exert all their power to condense their Dao Fruit into an orb of light. When the energy and order eventually cooled, it would resemble a golden stone.

Of course, ordinary god-level evolvers couldn't achieve this. Only the most outstanding individuals could successfully leave behind a Divine Core, and it was rumored that doing so might offer a chance of survival.

Golden beams shot from Chu Feng's eyes as he stared intently. Such items existed in the shattered chaotic universe; the last time a Battle God Fruit Position appeared, it triggered countless schemes for acquisition, only for people from the Yang World to arrive...

And there was more than one Divine Core in this forbidden land, which was enough to drive people mad.

However, upon closer inspection, he found that these Divine Cores were incomplete and damaged, which was quite a pity.

Then, he gazed further, spotting a medicinal field in the second heaven. The unusual soil glowed, auspicious energy surged, and five divine medicines grew there.

Chu Feng swallowed, his eyes burning with desire. Most importantly, there were several complete Divine Cores in the second heaven!

Looking deeper, searching carefully, he discovered fist-sized humanoid light clusters in the third heaven. These were incredibly mysterious energy substances, located by rocks and under ancient trees, causing even Little Vermilion Bird to exclaim.

"Divine King Cores!"

These were priceless treasures. At the very least, no Divine Kings had appeared in the foreign land for a long time, and these Divine King Cores would incite battles among the gods.

Chu Feng was deeply moved. This so-called first forbidden land contained nothing but good things; it was naked temptation, making his breathing quicken.

This place held what he deeply yearned for. If he acquired Divine Cores, or even Divine King Cores, he could immediately return and overthrow a group of deities in the Yang World.

However, he held back. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If so many fortuitous creations could be taken out, would they still be here now?

Evidently, the so-called Divine King Cores were left behind by Divine Kings who had perished after venturing into the forbidden land.

"Look quickly! There's a purple light cluster even deeper in the forbidden land, with auspicious energy rising!" Little Vermilion Bird exclaimed in shock.

In the jumbled rock forest of the fifth and sixth heavens, purple energy shimmered and divine light lingered. There seemed to be another light cluster there, though it was obscured by rocks.

"Could that be... a fruit position beyond the Divine King level?" Little Vermilion Bird's voice trembled.

"I'm not looking anymore!" Chu Feng turned and walked away. This place was full of temptations, but he clearly understood his current capabilities; venturing in would be a certain death.

Even with the stone box in hand, he likely wouldn't have time to use it; he'd perish before escaping into its space!

Soon after Chu Feng left, he captured a black fox that had reached the Saint level. He forcibly suppressed it, split off a wisp of his soul light to control its body, and attempted to retrieve treasures from the forbidden land.

This was just a test; he wouldn't linger here.

His target was the two talismans on the jade table, as they were closest to the outside.

However, as soon as the black fox stepped inside, it was pierced by dazzling beams of light—golden, crimson, and silver—all long, like divine snakes swimming and penetrating the void.

The black fox died miserably, and even the wisp of mental energy Chu Feng had split off turned to ash. It was a complete failure; both body and spirit were destroyed.

"Let's go!" Chu Feng sighed, turning decisively. Although this place contained many good things, it was not somewhere he and Little Vermilion Bird could tread or lay claim to.

No matter how tempting it was, he couldn't give in; yielding to temptation would only mean sacrificing himself.

"What a pity!" Little Vermilion Bird also expressed regret, constantly looking back, stumbling like a pecking chick.

The journey out was eventful but without real danger. Chu Feng and Little Vermilion Bird emerged, as they had followed their original path and were not trapped again in the vast grassland.

Standing outside the forbidden land, Chu Feng let out a long breath. He took out the two talismans, handing one to Little Vermilion Bird and telling her to keep it safe.

"I... I don't want it." Little Vermilion Bird demurred shyly. After all, Chu Feng had averted all dangers during this foray into the forbidden land. If she had been on her own, she would have either died on Fallen Phoenix Slope or lost her life in another perilous place.

Chu Feng pushed it directly into her hand, not allowing her to refuse. He had promised to take her away from this world full of strange matter, a promise he hadn't yet fulfilled.

The old Vermilion Bird had shown him great kindness, and it was a regret that he couldn't see her one last time. He could only show greater care for her daughter.

Chu Feng kept one pure white talisman for himself, examining it closely. If he were killed now, would he directly reappear in the Purgatory Dead City?

According to the young Daoist priest, holding such a talisman meant he wouldn't fear being killed by anyone; he could directly reincarnate. It was a reincarnation token, or a pass with no obstructions.

He knew he would certainly return within a century. No matter what, he had to retrieve one for the young Daoist priest; a father couldn't owe his son.

Chu Feng walked out of the forbidden land, cautiously on guard, fearing enemies might be waiting outside.

In fact, he had overthought it. Ten years had passed, and those people had long since left. In this world, deities only had a lifespan of six hundred to eight hundred years before being corroded by the gray mist; no one was willing to waste a decade in one place.

His mood lifted greatly, and he declared to the sky, "With this talisman in hand, the world is mine!"

Then, he sensed something was amiss. He watched as glowing objects descended from the sky, swooping down. Was this a divine treasure falling from the heavens?

Immediately after, tragedy struck. It was a torrent of lightning, plunging down like true dragons, striking him so fast he couldn't dodge.

*Crack!*

Hundreds of dragon-shaped electric lights slammed into him. In an instant, his battle armor shattered, and his entire body turned charred black.

"What the hell?! Can't I be cool for more than three seconds? I just felt elated, and now you're stifling me. Couldn't you have struck a bit later?!"

Chu Feng was furious, cursing repeatedly.

He naturally realized what was happening. For the past decade, he had cultivated a unique technique, absorbing massive amounts of divine particles and some Dao Ancestor matter, far exceeding the permitted limit.

In this world, there was a certain limit to the divine particles one could absorb each month; exceeding it would result in continuous lightning strikes.

Within the forbidden land, this hadn't happened, so he thought he was safe and had calmly avoided the risk. Who would have thought he'd be "settled with" as soon as he stepped out?

From this, one could also see the terror of the first forbidden land; even the rules of the greater cosmos couldn't intervene. Laws did not descend there; it was too transcendent.

Chu Feng quickly threw out the stone box and other items. The stone box was naturally immune to lightning strikes, but his herbs, weapons, and other belongings needed protection.

Little Vermilion Bird, like her mother, followed the normal evolutionary path of divine beasts and had never cultivated any unique techniques, thus she wasn't struck by lightning.

*Crack!*

*Boom!*

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, divine rainbows intertwined, and dazzling bolts of lightning erupted, submerging Chu Feng in a furious barrage as various electric snakes danced continuously.

The scene was quite terrifying. Chu Feng was in a dreadful state; the lightning strikes hadn't ceased since they began.

Little Vermilion Bird counted for him; he seemed to have endured four layers of lightning tribulations in a very short time, some of which had descended simultaneously.

This was clearly meant to destroy him, leaving him no path to survival.

Soon after, the fifth lightning tribulation arrived. It was different in color, frighteningly black, accompanied by dark light, and it pierced through his body.

However, Chu Feng endured it, even though he was covered in bloodstains and some parts of his body were pierced by the lightning. He didn't flinch and simply bore through it.

But after the fifth layer of lightning tribulation, he looked up at the sky, his face immediately turning pale as yet another heavenly tribulation descended. It seemed endless, as if it wouldn't stop until it struck him dead.

He decisively fled, escaping into the first forbidden land.

In the legends of foreign land heavenly tribulations he knew, anyone who survived five layers of tribulation possessed the qualifications to become a god, with astonishing potential to become a deity in the future.

Generally, this was the limit.

Yet, after enduring five layers, it still wasn't over. Was this entire decade's worth of accumulated lightning going to strike him all at once?

This surpassed the limits experienced by even the deities of the Fierce Beast Plateau in their youth. Chu Feng didn't want to be struck to death, so he naturally had to evade.

After entering the first forbidden land, everything ceased; the lightning suddenly vanished.

Hiding in the forbidden land, Chu Feng immediately chewed on a 20,000-year-old herb. His body trembled, his bones roared like dragons, and his blood essence boiled, gushing out of him like a crimson phoenix, radiating overwhelming red light.

After he had healed his injuries, he saw Little Vermilion Bird with her back to him, practicing the Buddhist breathing technique in the distance.

The Great Thunderclap Breathing Technique he possessed was given to him by the old Vermilion Bird. With guidance from the limping stone fox, he had completed the Yang World method, enough to cultivate to the Reflection Realm.

"I'm so badly struck, and you're still in the mood to cultivate?"

"Put on your clothes!"

Chu Feng was speechless. After his battle armor was reduced to ash, he had indeed forgotten. He had always seen Little Vermilion Bird as just a fiery red bird, never truly considering her as a female.

He stepped out again to face the lightning strikes. He knew he had to confront them sooner or later, and he could use the forbidden land to undergo the tribulations in batches, using them as a baptism to forge a powerful lightning-forged body.

In the next instance, Chu Feng was half-dead. He endured six layers of lightning tribulations in one go, with bones broken, but when he saw the seventh layer descending, he turned and fled.

This was simply inhumane! The Grand Dao was ruthless, clearly intending to destroy him. After entering the forbidden land, he immediately took out six or seven ancient herbs, each at least 15,000 years old, and devoured them all in one go as if they were large radishes.

After a long while, arcs of electricity pulsed within Chu Feng's soul light and flesh. Divine light surged, and his blood essence was immense. He had fully recovered and become even more formidable.

A Quasi-Reflection Realm expert!

He had almost stepped into that realm; at the very least, his physical body and soul light were powerful enough. All that was missing was the final step of comprehension.

In the distance, Little Vermilion Bird's gaze was peculiar. She had personally witnessed Chu Feng endure six layers of heavenly tribulations in one go. This not only showed the potential to become a god, but also indicated he was among the best of them; if she had to give him a title, it would be "Divine General."

Soon after, Chu Feng went to face the tribulation again, once more enduring six layers in one go before running back.

One time, after he endured seven heavenly tribulations in a single go, Little Vermilion Bird was astonished. This was the legendary potential of a Divine King; such a being hadn't appeared for a very long time.

For the next two days, Chu Feng continuously underwent tribulations here. When Little Vermilion Bird saw him endure eight heavenly tribulations in a single go, her head swelled; she was quite numb to it by then.

Chu Feng himself hadn't expected the lightning to be endless. He spent entire days and nights undergoing tribulations, fleeing into the forbidden land to hide whenever his body couldn't endure anymore.

This was the accumulation of ten years. He had killed too many Saint-level creatures and absorbed massive amounts of divine particles. Due to this excessive accumulation, he naturally had to face many tribulations.

He believed that even though he was still one final step away, having yet to grasp the core of the Reflection Realm, he no longer feared opponents of that level.

After constantly undergoing tribulations for these past few days, his physical body already reflected the void, his blood essence was immense, and his destructive power was astonishing. All that remained was a single layer of "window paper" in the spiritual realm, which he merely needed to pierce through!

Three days and three nights later, the world became quiet, and all heavenly tribulations ceased.

"Let's go. I need to see Senior Fox." He had many doubts and questions about the first forbidden land, which he wanted to ask the limping stone fox directly.

"Then I'll begin my journey to godhood and experience a century of solitude!"

This was Chu Feng's decision. There was no time to waste. He would spend the foreseeable future rising, continuously evolving, and return to the Underworld as soon as possible.

Everything in this world was like fleeting clouds, destined to vanish. It was merely a segment of his life's journey; his true battlefield was not here.