Chapter 962: True Male God Cannot Say No

The Stone Fox initially refused outright, as Chu Feng genuinely intended to use it as a shield.

"Did I, this Heavenly Venerable, owe you from a past life? To go suppress the Myriad Serpent Nest and be bitten by endless Order Serpents? Absolutely not!"

"Senior, one should uphold integrity. You once promised me that you would accompany me on a journey once I became a god."

The Stone Fox corrected him, "I'm not human; I am a Heavenly Venerable, understand? I never make promises. I merely stated that to enter, you would at least need to become a god!"

However, it eventually agreed because the little Vermillion Bird approached, wiping away tears, and pleaded with it to bring her mother out of Fallen Phoenix Slope.

The Stone Fox sighed, "Alright, since I'm entering a special terrain, whether it's once or twice, it's still an entry. I'll assist you, but I genuinely can't move on my own. If you abandon me in those mountains, I will endure torment for the rest of my life."

It and Chu Feng huddled together, meticulously studying the terrifying mountain ranges within the forbidden area. Chu Feng, knowledgeable in domain formations, was at the peak of the Saint Master realm and on the verge of breaking through to the Divine Master level.

The Stone Fox marveled at such a young quasi-Divine Master, remarking that Chu Feng's evolutionary talent paled in comparison to his talent for domain formations, which was astonishing even in the Yang Realm.

It advised Chu Feng that following the conventional evolutionary path was a mistake and suggested he focus on domain formations, through which he could become a Heavenly Venerable in the future.

Normally, the effort and time required for each advancement in domain formation research would exceed ten times that of the evolutionary path, but Chu Feng defied this convention.

"I will walk both paths!" Chu Feng declared.

The crippled Heavenly Venerable scolded him for being greedy, warning that he would fail at both paths if he tried to pursue them simultaneously.

After a perilous exploration, Chu Feng and the Stone Fox emerged disheveled, having narrowly escaped being trapped in Fallen Phoenix Slope. With great difficulty, they managed to retrieve the corpse of the old Vermillion Bird, which by then was completely dried up, its essence and spirit long dissipated.

"That was a close call!" Chu Feng exclaimed, still shaken.

Hearing this, the Stone Fox immediately glared. "A close call for what? You carried me in there, used me as a shield, and I bore all the attacks! You're perfectly fine, while my old bones nearly fell apart!"

The little Vermillion Bird cried profusely, tears streaming down her face, and she fainted multiple times.

The Stone Fox sighed. It had watched the old Vermillion Bird grow up, only for her to die here. Now, it felt a pang of sorrow, yet was utterly powerless.

Its powerful master had crippled it, and to this day, terrifying restrictions remained within its body, preventing it from breaking free from the fate of this world.

Deep within the forbidden area, before the First Heaven, Chu Feng and the Stone Fox had spent a long time studying the situation, but had not yet dared to act.

The little Vermillion Bird, her eyes red, buried her mother in a scenic area before joining them to deliberate.

"Senior, this time you only need to remain there for the duration of an incense stick, and we'll achieve great success!"

"Silence! How much essence and spirit will I lose in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn? You little brat, is your mastery of domain formations truly sufficient, or am I just your meat shield?!"

Chu Feng offered an apologetic smile. "You possess the body of a Heavenly Venerable. Even with a divine blade, I couldn't scratch your face. Even within special terrains, those forms of order certainly cannot harm you!"

"I want to smack you dead!"

In the end, the Stone Fox, with a dark expression, agreed to Chu Feng's request, only to instantly regret it.

*Damn it,* it wanted to curse. Chu Feng, as if throwing a brick, hurled it forcefully into the First Heaven of the forbidden area.

*Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!*

Inside the forbidden area, a brilliant light erupted. This First Heaven was the notorious Myriad Serpent Nest terrain, and instantly, countless beams of light interwoven, resembling divine serpents. Some shimmered silver, others gleamed with dazzling gold, and still others emanated a rising purple mist. Myriad serpents emerged from their lairs, lunging at the Stone Fox.

These were all manifestations of order, capable of strangling even deities!

Even the crippled Heavenly Venerable groaned there, eventually roaring, "You little brat, you've conned me again! Are you finished yet?!"

It truly felt like myriad serpents were boring into its core, completely enveloping it. It had been agreed that it would only bear one or two tenths of the Myriad Serpent Nest's offensive energy, so why was it taking the full brunt? Chu Feng had clearly deceived it.

Had this not been merely the First Heaven, and had it not possessed the body of a Heavenly Venerable, the situation would have been dire. Even so, it kept letting out low growls, wishing it could crush Chu Feng to death with a single paw.

Chu Feng rushed inside, secretly preparing his stone box, ready to retreat into it at any moment.

The terrain now trembled as the Stone Fox suppressed a specific node, drawing away all the divine serpents of order. Chu Feng, meanwhile, stepped on certain peculiar areas, thus remaining temporarily safe.

These areas represented the safer paths he had deduced as a domain formation researcher. If he could reach the Divine Master level or even higher, his deduced paths would be even more secure.

He constantly shifted his position, making his landings awkward, almost as if he were shivering, swaying erratically from east to west, left to right. These specific landing points were highly unusual.

Upon seeing this, the Stone Fox's mouth twitched. "Are you really in the mood to prance around like a shaman? Can you even do this?"

"How can a true god ever say no? I am the strongest! Just hold on for another incense stick's worth of time, and I guarantee I'll plunder all the creation here!" Chu Feng yelled.

"You little brat, I'll slay you!" the Stone Fox roared in anger. They had agreed to the duration of one incense stick, but now he was adding another?

"Almost done! You absolutely must hold on. How many times in life do we get a chance to strive? How many things can be redone and fought again? Senior, you are now standing on the precipice of destiny. Hold firm to your belief, grit your teeth, and push through, and boundless opportunities await."

Listening to him desperately spout such clichéd, yet poisonous, motivational drivel, the Stone Fox wanted to vomit blood and then spew him to death.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Chu Feng dodged left and right, tracing peculiar curved paths, finally reaching the jade table in the First Heaven and snatching the two talisman papers from its surface.

One paper shimmered with purple light, exuding an aura of peace and auspiciousness, while the other was vividly red, radiating a potent crimson glow that illuminated the void.

Both talisman papers bore intricate, complex, and arcane patterns, making them invaluable treasures. With these, even if Chu Feng were to be killed at this moment, he could instantly reincarnate without issue.

"Are you finished?!"

The Stone Fox was enduring intense pain, relying on its former status as a Heavenly Venerable to prevent itself from grimacing.

But the pain was real. Though it resisted with its stone body, enduring all the attacks, it was almost unbearable, making it want to curse.

"Just a little more! Hold on for one more incense stick's duration!" Chu Feng shouted.

"I truly want to kill you!" the Stone Fox gnashed its teeth. How many more incense stick durations did this brat intend to add?

Within this terrain, Chu Feng appeared to be running erratically, but he was actually following specific patterns. He continuously circled or moved in arc-shaped paths, always taking a much longer route before suddenly leaping several steps forward, appearing close to his objective. This process genuinely consumed a lot of time.

He was currently collecting divine cores, having already found five. Soon after, he discovered more in a rocky area and decisively approached them using an arc-shaped path.

These were all sources of godhood!

Of course, they were all incomplete. Had they been undamaged, a single divine core could have created a deity, making them truly priceless treasures.

In this manner, Chu Feng continuously moved through the First Heaven of the forbidden area, swiftly searching for divine cores. However, the detours required were extensive; each time, he had to circle many times before he could approach his target.

Ultimately, he managed to find a total of eleven fragmented divine cores. This was truly a bountiful harvest, igniting a fervent excitement within him, as these were indeed priceless treasures at the moment.

"Senior, let's leave!"

Chu Feng fled. After escaping, he violently agitated the terrain. He had previously left many lodestones and set up a domain formation, which he now fully activated.

A scorching light erupted where the crippled Stone Fox was, flinging it into the air before slamming it back down, blasting a large crater into the ground.

"You brat, I'm not through with you!" The old fox vowed to fight him to the death.

Disheveled, it lay at the bottom of the pit, still covered in divine serpents of order, their energy not yet fully dissipated. Even its stone body was convulsing.

Chu Feng quickly began to flatter, looking into the large pit. "Senior, please quell your anger. In this world, only you possess the ability to suppress such terrifying terrain. It's truly astonishing; your physique is simply unparalleled!"

"Cut it out! I don't fall for that trick!" The Stone Fox, surprisingly, glowed faintly and clumsily leaped out of the large pit at that crucial moment.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Chu Feng continued, "Senior, the reason I extended our time was entirely for this child, the little Vermillion Bird. Don't you find it desolate that her mother died here, and how lonely and pitiful she is now left all alone?"

The little Vermillion Bird was naturally melancholic. Despite her not-so-young actual age, she had little exposure to the complex outside world and remained very innocent. She immediately burst into tears, missing her mother dearly.

The Stone Fox also felt a pang of sorrow. It had watched the little Vermillion Bird's mother grow up, only to then witness her death in this very place. Now, with her daughter grown, it harbored many regrets.

"Tell me, what does this have to do with the little Vermillion Bird?" it ground its teeth.

"I discovered several unique divine cores that belonged to divine beasts. It appears they didn't practice any strange arts during their lives and weren't tainted by bizarre substances; they achieved godhood through normal evolution."

Chu Feng decisively handed the little Vermillion Bird a few divine cores, which immediately caused much of the Stone Fox's anger to dissipate, though it still watched him with a dark expression.

Seeing the Stone Fox remain silent with a grim face, Chu Feng decisively made his escape, choosing a safe location to absorb the divine cores. He dared not absorb them whole.

He understood the inner workings: if mishandled, the divine core's original owner might achieve an alternative form of rebirth.

Therefore, he used his divine sword to cut these fragmented divine cores, then employed the Six Paths Time Art to crush them, only then beginning to absorb their divine essence.

Shortly after, divine light surged through that area, and Chu Feng's internal energy continuously swelled, his power rapidly increasing.

Once a divine core had fully turned to ash, Chu Feng felt invigorated. Even his pores seemed to be exhaling powerful divine energy, and his strength had significantly surged!

He decisively shattered the second divine core and began to absorb it. Both his physical body and soul light trembled as he evolved; this rapid increase in power filled him with a profound sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

If this continued, he would rapidly become immensely powerful, far beyond an ordinary deity. He had just attained godhood and was already evolving further!

Before him lay a pile of divine cores. If he absorbed them all, Chu Feng couldn't even estimate how powerful he might become!

He knew he would soon depart, ascend to slay gods, and settle scores with those from the Yang Realm!

This concludes the chapter for today. I need to carefully plan the upcoming plot, as a major turning point is about to begin. Everyone, please go to bed early. Good night.