Chapter 964: Overpowering the First Forbidden Territory

In the mountains, Chu Feng was collecting spoils of war. As he picked up the Witch God's crimson great bow, he stumbled and suddenly fell to the ground, his body trembling, unable to rise.

A terrible curse was upon it; it was an ancient weapon that had endured countless eons without perishing.

Chu Feng struggled several times, but fell to the ground again.

"You dare to touch the Witch God's belongings? Ha, quite a nerve, but you've fallen victim to it," a voice said from afar.

Though it was the underground world, it was no different from the surface. Two divine beasts emerged from a mountain forest, and the one speaking was a snow-white Dragon-Horned Beast.

It resembled a Pegasus, as white as jade, with a pair of dragon horns on its head and three pairs of snow-white wings on its flanks, radiating divine energy.

The other divine beast was a massive Hou, with pitch-black fur, a powerful physique, and a wide mouth full of tusks. Its divine body radiated dark light, appearing exceptionally fierce.

"Deal with him immediately. This nether spirit is too terrifying. This is a rare opportunity; if we miss it, no one in our world will be able to restrain him!" the black Hou exclaimed.

Both had evolved into divine beasts, each ruling an abyss not far from the First Forbidden Zone. Thus, they had rushed to the scene immediately after the divine battle erupted.

"I have no feud with you. Are you truly going to attack?" Chu Feng asked from where he lay on the ground.

"Heh heh, no, there's no feud," the Dragon-Horned Beast chuckled, "but you are so powerful, you severely threaten us and disrupt the balance of this entire world. Furthermore, we are at odds with the Vermilion Bird lineage, and we heard that little Vermilion Bird is with you. So, you might as well die!"

The Dragon-Horned Beast laughed, and between its horns, a dazzling burst of lightning erupted, forming a brilliant divine spear that shot toward Chu Feng's glabella—an immediate killing strike.

Simultaneously, the black Hou roared, opening its blood-red maw filled with runes of order that swept toward Chu Feng like an ocean.

The two divine beasts were decisive, immediately going for the kill!

"Sigh!" Chu Feng sighed. With a whoosh, he vanished from his spot, then activated the Lesser Six Paths Time Art, his sword light like a rainbow as he engaged them in a fierce battle.

In fact, it was hardly a fierce battle. Having already reached the Divine General level, Chu Feng's mere first move terrified the two divine beasts. They roared as divine blood gushed from their bodies; they were severely wounded, nearly decapitated, with horrific gashes on their necks.

"You were feigning the curse?" they asked, both shocked and enraged.

"Otherwise, how could I determine whether you deserved to die?" Chu Feng replied calmly.

He had long sensed divine beings lurking in the shadows. Though the two divine beasts possessed secret treasures to conceal their presence, they could not escape his acute divine perception.

"We are willing to surrender; please spare our lives!"

Chu Feng hesitated slightly, wondering whether to take them to the netherworld.

Soon, he shook his head. These were two gods, difficult to control; even a slight oversight could lead to a backlash, especially since those around him had not yet reached the divine realm.

"Kill!" the black Hou roared, fighting fiercely.

However, reality was cruel. Even the two divine beasts were no match for Chu Feng, who had reached the Divine General realm. Large wounds quickly appeared on their bodies, and they were on the verge of being slain.

"I am willing to become your mount!" the Dragon-Horned Beast cried out, lowering its head in submission. "Imagine riding a divine beast, traversing the world—all beings would be shocked and worship you! Even the gods of the Fierce Beast Plateau cannot achieve this!"

Chu Feng was not swayed. He clearly sensed the hidden killing intent of the two divine beasts; they were unwilling to submit and were merely yielding under pressure to avoid death.

Keeping such mounts would only lead to future trouble. He had just become a god and did not yet possess sufficient beast-controlling techniques.

"How about this: try to escape. Let me see how fast you are," Chu Feng said.

He intended to return to the netherworld, then proceed to the Chaotic Universe to wage war against the gods of the yang world. If these two fierce beasts proved fast enough, he might consider keeping them.

Hearing this, the two divine beasts turned and fled. This was a combined escape attempt; it would be best if they could get away, but if not, they would simply humble themselves and become his mounts for now, planning an ambush later.

"Too slow!" Chu Feng shook his head. After unfolding his sword wings, he instantly caught up, cutting off their path as if fragments of time swirled around him.

The black Hou was decisive and unyielding. Before Chu Feng could react, it self-destructed, intending to take Chu Feng with it.

As a divine beast, its divine perception was naturally keen, detecting Chu Feng's killing intent.

However, the black energy mass was confined by Chu Feng before it could spread. He frantically absorbed it using the Lesser Six Paths Time Art, sweeping in all divine particles and Dao Ancestor substances.

The Dragon-Horned Beast was horrified. This nether spirit was far too powerful, surpassing them by a significant margin; even self-destruction couldn't kill him.

Ultimately, it was also decapitated by a single sword strike, dying a violent death.

Since true allegiance was impossible, and the two divine beasts also held a grudge against the Vermilion Bird lineage (and had intended to kill Chu Feng when they first arrived), he showed no mercy.

Chu Feng sat cross-legged, enveloped by silver-white and dark light. After slaying the two divine beasts, he absorbed sufficient divine matter, and his strength grew even further.

At this moment, he felt a touch of fear. The Lesser Six Paths Time Art was too heaven-defying; his strength was growing so rapidly that the speed itself frightened him.

Becoming a god in a century, and then entering the Divine General realm—this was truly astonishing!

Chu Feng's strength was increasing, but his heart felt heavy; such a rapid growth rate made him extremely worried.

However, upon considering the desolate path, he exhaled softly, observing the seed planted within his body. Using his current self as fertile ground, he awaited the birth of a divine embryo and the rebirth of a new self!

The seed, like a tiny golden elixir, was suspended within his body, merging with his flesh, blood, and soul light, taking root there. It was noticeably much more radiant than before, nourished by a large amount of divine matter, and performing exceptionally well.

Chu Feng entered the forbidden zone, found the stone fox, and sought its advice, expressing his worries. He genuinely felt his evolution was too rapid and his strength was increasing too quickly.

The stone fox nodded. It knew the Six Paths Time Art and profoundly understood that this method was heaven-defying—a terrifying, somewhat sinister technique that allowed one to rise rapidly in a short time.

"Otherwise, why would that person back then be called the Six Paths Demonic Venerable? Even the great powers of the yang world were wary, and several of them teamed up to eliminate him!"

At the same time, it told Chu Feng not to worry too much, explaining that slow cultivation in the netherworld universe was due to incomplete laws and suppression by the Great Abyss.

Chu Feng had told it about the netherworld's situation, and the crippled Heavenly Venerable had made various reasonable judgments.

It explained that the netherworld's limit was the Reflection peak, where one could not become a god. Additionally, due to this upper limit, suppression, and incomplete order, cultivation became difficult after reaching the Saint level.

In contrast, the alien realm possessed more complete laws, so after reaching the Saint level, cultivation speed was much faster than in the netherworld. With the aid of the Lesser Six Paths Time Art, Chu Feng's rapid advancement was also expected.

Chu Feng asked if cultivation was faster in the yang world, where laws were complete and order fully manifested.

"Yes," the stone fox nodded, "the netherworld universe you inhabit can be considered an enactment of the Age of Dharma Decline. The yang world is indeed a sacred place for cultivation, with perfect order."

It told Chu Feng that no world was as good as one imagined. While cultivation speed in the yang world would indeed be significantly faster, it wouldn't be excessively so.

One thing was certain, however: cultivators in the yang world were generally stronger than those in the netherworld. This was because the Great Dao in the yang world was undamaged and cosmic rules were dense, meaning every individual had to undergo more baptism from order runes when breaking through a realm.

"Of course, there are also disadvantages. For example, in the yang world, even those at the Golden Body level cannot fly; they are suppressed by the perfected order."

Even in some places, Sub-Saints couldn't fly or tunnel through the earth.

This left Chu Feng speechless, yet also very curious, prompting him to continuously ask questions, eager to learn more about the yang world.

He already knew that even Saints couldn't destroy planets in the yang world; if they truly tried, they would be obliterated by the planet's will!

In the yang world, where rules were powerful, the planet's will would be terrifying.

"I heard the yang world is boundless. Do different races also reside on life planets exclusive to their own race?" Chu Feng asked.

"No," it replied, "the cosmos, the starry sky, and various life planets are merely their 'vegetable gardens,' places where special products are unearthed. In the eyes of some ancient races that have existed for hundreds of millions of years, they are not precious at all. You'll understand when you go there."

Then, it stopped speaking.

Through their conversation, although the stone fox was not very cooperative and unwilling to say much, Chu Feng still learned a lot.

"It's time to leave. Before I go, I'll make a trip to the Fierce Beast Plateau and the Abyss!"

Chu Feng departed. Since the three gods of the Fierce Beast Plateau had come to kill him, he couldn't simply leave. He intended to ransack the gods' homes.

Of course, he naturally wouldn't let the Abyss off either.

Chu Feng vanished. His speed was incredible; he tore through space, directly reaching the Fierce Beast Plateau. At his current level, he was already considered the top expert in the alien realm.

This world had been in decline for a long time; many ages had passed without the appearance of a God King. He could now look down upon this entire world.

Everything went smoothly. After Chu Feng arrived, there was no resistance; he entered unimpeded, opening the cave dwellings of the Martial God, the Dark Moon Goddess, and the Witch God.

The so-called divine servants and followers could only tremble under the suppression of his divine might.

There were still gods on the Fierce Beast Plateau, but having heard of his battle achievements, no one dared to step forward; instead, they were very uneasy.

Chu Feng sighed, quite displeased. Not a single divine medicine he most desired to collect was there. A century ago, the Fierce Beast Plateau and the Abyss had waged war for over a decade. Many experts perished, and the surviving gods were all severely wounded. Ultimately, all divine medicines had been harvested for healing.

Such things grew too slowly; now only tender shoots were emerging.

He was tempted to dig them up, but upon reflection, this world was so rich in strange substances that even divine medicines might carry such properties.

It wouldn't matter if he consumed them himself, but if planted on Earth, they might bring harm.

"Forget it. Earth also has divine medicines and divine trees. As the world revives, they will eventually grow."

Of course, the netherworld universe lacked yang energy nourishment, so the effects of its divine medicines were far inferior to those in the alien realm. Compared to the yang world, the difference was even greater.

In the end, Chu Feng unexpectedly discovered a scroll of scripture. After careful study, he was overjoyed, as it appeared to be... the Dao race's breathing technique!

This was found in the Martial God's cave dwelling; in fact, it wasn't acquired by the current Martial God, but was left behind by an ancient deity from a distant past.

Just like the Buddhist breathing technique in the Vermilion Bird's nest, this was a similar serendipitous encounter.

In ancient times, a genius of the Dao race entered the alien realm from the Great Dream Pure Land. Ultimately, under life-or-death pressure, they defected to a God King on the Fierce Beast Plateau.

It should be known that the netherworld's upper limit prevented one from becoming a god; therefore, the restriction left by the Dao race powerhouse in their disciple's soul light couldn't stop that God King. He easily broke through it and obtained this breathing technique.

Chu Feng was very excited. He left there to raid the Abyss, but unfortunately, the harvest was not significant. Finally, he returned to the First Forbidden Zone, found the stone fox, and showed it the Dao race breathing technique.

"Excellent," the stone fox remarked, "it's a secret passed down only within the Dao race, capable of allowing you to cultivate to the Reflection realm. Although it's only the first volume, it's incredibly precious. The Dao race's breathing technique is powerful enough to rank among the top few in the yang world!"

The crippled Heavenly Venerable's eyes actually gleamed brightly, its stone eyes shining. Even though this scripture only reached the Reflection realm, it found it very interesting. It studied it for a long time, finally helping Chu Feng revise it and correct several flaws.

Its master had a profound and close relationship with the Dao race, so they had collected many fragmented texts related to the Dao race's breathing techniques.

Its master, that great power, had always been studying the top few breathing techniques, unable to obtain them, yet always craving them, feeling very conflicted inside.

"To think, I obtained it here. I originally planned to return to the netherworld universe and acquire it from the Dao race myself," Chu Feng sighed, expressing his true thoughts. As he was preparing to go to the yang world, he naturally needed ample preparation. He had already obtained many top-tier breathing techniques from the netherworld, such as those of the Quasi-Immortal race, the Buddhist race, and the Undying Silkworm race...

More than a dozen were collected by people from the yang world, but ultimately ended up in his hands.

Now, he felt great.

He knew that once he entered the yang world, it would be impossible to obtain the breathing techniques of various races; they were all closely guarded secrets.

Rather than that, it was better to work harder in the netherworld and collect fragmented texts of some supreme Daoist traditions' breathing techniques.

"Senior," Chu Feng said with a fawning smile, "since we're about to leave, how about we put in a little more effort and plunder the other good fortunes in this First Forbidden Zone?"

The stone fox's face darkened. "Go to hell! You want to use me as a meat shield again? Besides, it's you and little Vermilion Bird who are leaving, not including me!"

"How could I leave you, Senior, to go on alone? That's not my style. If we go, we go together. I have a way to take you out of this cage, even if your master, that great power, has placed restrictions on you, it won't stop us!"

"Are you sure?" If the stone fox said it didn't want to escape this fate, that would be impossible!

"I'm sure," Chu Feng coaxed, "but on the condition that you help me one more time. I need to become strong enough to confidently take you with me; otherwise, I'm not very confident!"

Finally, the stone fox gritted its teeth and served as his meat shield again.

Chu Feng didn't hold back. After carefully studying the terrain and briefly discussing with the stone fox, he then slammed it into the depths of the forbidden zone as if it were just a rock.

"You little rascal, can't you be a bit gentler? I really want to smack you dead!"

The crippled Heavenly Venerable's face was clouded with dark energy. It always felt as if Chu Feng were "throwing stones to find a path," but his throws were truly careless, as if using it as a stone hammer to smash divine cores. It was too casual, which infuriated it.

Chu Feng gave a dry laugh and said, "My mistake, I got distracted and made a slight blunder. Please bear with me, old senior."

In the end, the crippled Heavenly Venerable groaned repeatedly in that place. It couldn't maintain its composure and eventually couldn't help but scream from the pain, being fiercely assaulted by the order within the forbidden zone. It cursed Chu Feng, calling him too dishonest, wondering why the kid had promised a quick end yet plunged in and refused to come out.

Finally, Chu Feng's heart raced as he returned fully loaded, having harvested five divine medicines and picked up over twenty divine cores, some incomplete, some intact.

Additionally, he found three damaged God King cores!

"Kid, are you done yet?!"

"Done, I'm out! Let's hurry, if we don't leave now, we'll face retribution!" Chu Feng himself felt he had gained too much and feared being struck by lightning.

Little Vermilion Bird, standing by, was even more dumbfounded. So many divine cores would surely allow Chu Feng's and its own strength to skyrocket once again.

It even highly suspected that Chu Feng might become a God King.

"A century of cultivation in the alien realm concludes. I have swept through the First Forbidden Zone, acquiring all its fortunes. Today, I ascend to the heavens!" Chu Feng declared, putting on a profound act.

However, he kept looking up at the sky, truly afraid that inexplicable lightning would strike him.

"Heh heh..."

Just then, he suddenly heard laughter. He turned sharply and saw a hunchbacked old man emerge from the depths of the forbidden zone, smiling at him.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen him, but seeing that smile now still sent shivers down his spine, making him feel utterly unnerved!

"Let's go!"

Chu Feng took little Vermilion Bird, put the stone fox on his back, and bolted, fleeing the First Forbidden Zone and ascending into the sky.