Chapter 986: Is the Celestial Heavens

"Can't you see that the people around me are all immensely powerful? They hail from the Yang Realm, are truly extraordinary, and hold the esteemed status of Saints. For them, breaking through these trials is effortless." Chu Feng pleaded earnestly, attempting a final "salvation" effort by trying to bring a large group of people along with him.

However, many in the shattered universe were ungrateful. Although tens of thousands had gathered in that immediate area, not to mention those further away, only a few hundred ultimately stepped forward. Among those were Yuan Mo, Zi Lan, and other individuals from the Netherworld, who were willing to leave their so-called refugee camp and venture forth with him.

"Haha, everyone, I advise you to reconsider," said another. "Going with him might seem promising now, but you must realize he's offended the geniuses from the Yang Realm. They will surely eliminate him along the way. He himself won't come to a good end, so why would you still trust him?" Someone else remarked, "Indeed, it's quite ridiculous. He's barely keeping himself afloat, yet he presumes to save us all and take us on this journey. His intentions are clearly sinister."

Chu Feng's gaze sharpened. These people were truly going too far. He had offered kind advice and intended to provide them with a great opportunity, only to be met with cold sarcasm. Naturally, he saw no need to elaborate. It wouldn't be long before these people regretted their decision; the facts would soon speak for themselves.

Feeling it still wasn't secure enough, he noted that Yuan Mo and Zi Lan, mixed among the few hundred, were slightly "conspicuous." Chu Feng turned to Hong Xuan, Fei Ling, and the others, asking, "Tell me, my dear younger siblings, have you frightened the cultivators of my shattered universe? They all claim you intend to kill me. Is that true?"

The faces of the dozen or so geniuses darkened at his address. After three days of recuperation, their previously charred bodies had regained their normal complexions. Now annoyed, they thought, "Who are you calling 'younger siblings'?" Were it not for their oath, they would have instantly struck him down.

"I have a point to make," Chu Feng said, pointing to the cultivators behind him. "Our struggle, our competition to see who is the world's foremost young expert, should ideally be contained. We must not involve or harm innocent bystanders. Regardless of how we contend, we must guarantee the safety of these individuals."

The cultivators were instantly grateful, touched that Ye Hao was still looking out for them at such a crucial moment. The Yang Realm geniuses, however, showed him disdain. Who would dare presumptuously claim to contend for the title of the world's foremost young expert? Such a boast, if it reached the Yang Realm, would be met with utter ridicule. The young prodigies of the Yang Realm are truly monstrous; some are personal disciples trained by Celestial Venerables themselves, possessing terrifying power beyond imagination!

"Very well, no matter how we contend, we will not harm any others," Hong Xuan assented, his snow-white robes fluttering as a luminous white aura enveloped him, making him appear unearthly and sacred, his formidable energy radiating outwards.

"You heard them, now follow me!" In the end, Chu Feng managed to gather another two hundred individuals, bringing the total to over five hundred people who embarked on the journey with him.

As they activated and officially stepped into the so-called trial ground, they immediately felt their own insignificance. It was a vast, sunless expanse of green earth. The ground was green, but this color did not signify thriving life. Instead, it was an eerie, unsettling green, completely devoid of vitality. Green clouds also drifted across the sky, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. In the distance, mountains towering ten thousand *zhang* high stretched across their path in a formidable array, resembling divine swords piercing the heavens and radiating a chilling, murderous aura.

This was a path that required traversing mountains and ridges, interspersed with ruins; some broken walls and remnants lay on the mountain slopes, while others were directly in front of them. "There's nothing to fear," someone whispered. "These are just ruins. We've ventured hundreds of miles deep, and there's been no danger yet." However, Chu Feng frowned slightly. He sensed that this area was far from ordinary; even he found some parts subtly unfathomable, and he tried to avoid them as much as possible.

"Let's continue," Chu Feng said. "It's even better if there's no trouble." Hong Xuan, Fairy Fei Ling, and the others remained composed. Confident in their abilities, they walked abreast at the very forefront of the group.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, amidst scattered debris in a section of ruins, a figure rose, brandishing a sword and slashing forward. The sudden appearance certainly startled everyone, but upon realizing what it was, they all laughed: it was merely a wooden figure. Furthermore, it wasn't three-dimensional; it was flat, crudely fashioned from a wooden plank, appearing entirely two-dimensional, and held a dilapidated wooden sword, making it look rather comical.

Although a Yang Realm genius didn't take it seriously, he still made a move, raising a silver holy sword to block the attack. "Snap!" A terrifying sight unfolded: the silver holy sword was instantly cleaved in two by the dilapidated wooden sword, which then continued its downward arc, poised to strike the genius's body. Everyone stared in disbelief. The flat wooden figure, seemingly the crudest of puppets, proved unexpectedly powerful. It emitted no energy fluctuations, nor did any runic symbols glow. Its power seemed to stem solely from brute force.

The Yang Realm genius, a powerful Saint, couldn't evade the blow. He was cleaved vertically into two pieces, and even his substitute talisman was cleanly shredded. The man was instantly slain by a single sword strike. His blood and flesh remained, but they were drained of all life, transformed into a lifeless corpse. His essence, vitality, and spirit had completely vanished. That dilapidated wooden sword was terrifying; it could effortlessly destroy a person's soul.

After just a single encounter, a wooden figure from the ruins had slain a genius Saint from the Yang Realm. How utterly terrifying! Chu Feng's pupils contracted. He stared at the dilapidated wooden sword, feeling it was disturbingly similar to the dark red long blade he had brought back from the Path of Reincarnation—insidiously malevolent and potentially fatal with a single strike.

The entire group was utterly stunned!

"Everyone, stand back!" Fei Ling commanded. She raised her hand, producing a red-skinned gourd. Pulling out its stopper, it instantly unleashed a torrent of black flames, composed of intricate order symbols, which surged towards the wooden figure. Yet, the wooden figure showed no fear. Amidst the black flames, it thrust its sword forward with the swiftness of lightning. Fei Ling engaged it in a fierce battle! The battle finally concluded after hundreds of exchanges, with the wooden figure ultimately being hacked into more than a dozen pieces.

"No soul aura, no energy. How was it sustained? Where did such immense power originate?" Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, completely baffled. Even the geniuses from the Yang Realm frowned in confusion, as this was clearly not a mere puppet—there were no residual runes or other signs of artificial control, making its nature truly bizarre. They attempted to examine the dilapidated wooden sword, but as soon as they picked it up, it disintegrated into ashes, scattering with the wind.

The atmosphere on the path ahead was somewhat somber. The death of a Yang Realm genius naturally dampened the spirits of Hong Xuan, Fei Ling, and the others.

"Moooo!"

Suddenly, as they approached the region of mountains towering ten thousand *zhang* high, a wooden ox emerged, rising from the ruins, its form nearly completely decayed. Yet, its presence sent shivers down many spines. "Kill it!" This time, four Yang Realm geniuses immediately moved to surround it, sensing that something was amiss; this ox was as sinister and malevolent as the previous wooden figure. What ensued was a barbaric charge. The wooden ox neither unleashed energy nor displayed glowing runes, yet its sheer brute force was immense, capable of sending a Saint flying. Furthermore, all divine arts and light-based attacks that struck it seemed to inflict no immediate harm. One person screamed as a massive ox horn pierced their chest, then violently tossed them into the air. Before they even hit the ground, their life force vanished, and they became a lifeless corpse.

"Kill!" Unable to bear it any longer, Hong Xuan personally intervened. Ultimately, the ox was killed by Hong Xuan. No runes or other energy signatures could be found on the wooden ox either, yet it had demonstrated immense, lethal power.

As they continued their journey, everyone felt a creeping unease, sensing the numerous oddities within these ruins. Along the subsequent path, various fierce beasts and humanoid creatures continuously appeared, making the journey extremely perilous. Thanks to Hong Xuan and Fei Ling's interventions, they navigated the dangers without further casualties, though not without fright. However, a new crisis emerged as they were about to crest the tall mountain range: a wooden spider, the size of a wild ox, with decaying wooden legs that seemed endlessly terrifying. After a brutal fight, Hong Xuan himself nearly perished. This was a wooden creature at the half-step Heavenly Venerate level.

"This is too strange," one remarked. "What kind of ruins are these, to have such wooden creatures? Initially, I thought they were artificial constructs, but didn't you notice, they lack internal energy sources? They don't seem man-made at all, but rather like a race that vanished into the annals of history."

Finally, they surmounted the great mountain and, on the horizon, spotted a city—no longer a ruin. As they drew closer, a green city, constructed entirely of wood, revealed itself. It was magnificent and vast, completely blocking their path forward!

"Ah, Daoist characters, the supreme Daoist script from the most ancient era!" both Fei Ling and Hong Xuan exclaimed in unison. They gazed at the characters inscribed on the wooden city wall. The inscription read: "Cross the Wooden City, and this body shall be immortal, its soul light eternal, thus becoming a celestial being of the heavens."

This single, brief line of text utterly stunned everyone. Even Fei Ling and the other Yang Realm geniuses were no exception. "No wonder the elders in our sect said these ruins are still being explored and advised against easy venturing," one of them remarked. "They wanted the people from the Netherworld universe to scout ahead, and indeed, it's proving to be exceptionally strange!" At this point, even Hong Xuan was voicing similar sentiments.

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng felt an intense urge to throttle the deities from the Yang Realm who had descended upon this universe. Their so-called "trials" were clearly just a pretext to find others to scout the path for them.