The Sacred Ruins

After leaving the Xinjiang basin, Chu Feng proceeded with due caution. If he encountered the Eastern punitive expedition on the road, it would become unnecessarily troublesome.

There were several poplar trees growing within the desert, resistant to the drought and full of vitality. Their leaves ranged from jade green to golden yellow, and together, they painted a picture of flourishing liveliness despite passing their prime.

Chu Feng, carrying a huge bag full of crystals, made his away across the desert. There were several things on his mind; when he first came to western China, he had witnessed the bewitching scene of a field of higanbana blooming and withering in an instant.

He had always wondered if that incident had any effect on him at all.

He previously asked Yellow Ox if such pollen could enter the body on their own. At that time, Yellow Ox replied with a frown, saying that these flowers were rather mysterious and it was difficult to say.

Yellow Ox speculated that only one ancient flower existed in that area, and its roots were buried deep beneath the ground. As the world underwent the great change, its initial recovery induced this wondrous phenomenon and was incidentally witnessed by Chu Feng.

Those flowers were extremely odd and little was understood of them, causing even Yellow Ox to be wary. He told Chu Feng that even he did not know the secrets behind this type of flower.

According to him, those blue higanbana were related to a certain saint and that one would need to return to that world in order to investigate thoroughly.

—

The day was scorching, slowly burning the desert like a stove.

Chu Feng utilized his Divine Feet, and although he didn’t intentionally raise his speed, every step would cause him to vanish and reappear in the distance.

Finally, he left the great desert and steadily approached the mountainous area. Chu Feng breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that chances of being discovered were significantly less within the dense woods.

He proceeded steadily towards his destination when he realized that he should have really conquered an avian beast. Otherwise, with these valleys, hills, and rivers, it would be difficult to utilize his full speed.

However, he was rather unfortunate as he did not encounter even a single avian beast; even normal beasts were scarcely seen.

A wild wolf informed him that with the passing of the Eastern punitive expedition, many strong beasts had been enslaved and taken along. Those who resisted were killed on the spot.

Along the way, many beasts who heard of this treatment had all fled in advance.

Chu Feng was fairly frustrated; he only wanted to find an avian beast to carry him back to Mount Kunlun, but now, he could only count on his own legs to carry him back now.

"If I had known sooner, I would’ve left the Grey Falcon or the Vulture King to be my mount."

Finally, all bedraggled, he arrived at Mount Kunlun on foot. This trip had really been a torment as well as a waste of time—he was cursing repeatedly in silence.

"Well, let this be a real consolidation training!"

On the road, he maintained his maximum speed. Rushing over like a supersonic jet, he shattered mountain peaks and traversed deep ravines, producing a terrifying scene wherever he go.

Chu Feng ran with all his might, and he only stopped to rest when he felt his blood boil and his body overheat.

This trip could be considered a form of training; he didn’t stop to rest even at night.

"I’m finally back!"

From a few kilometers out, he discovered the punitive expedition army. He cautiously circled around and entered Mount Kunlun through another path.

"Halt!"

These days were drastic times, and as such, security within the mountain was especially tight. The experts of Mount Kunlun were all on high alert, and there were patrols on rotating duty. Even the entrance to the mountain was guarded by a king level expert.

If something went wrong, a signal would alarm all the king level entities.

Some transformed beast race members stood there, armed to the teeth with various weapons which shone with a cold gleam. They stared at this potential intruder as a tiger would his prey; this land, to them, was a solemn and holy land.

"Who are you?"

Alarmed, the king level entity on guard duty duly arrived.

This was a middle-aged man with a huge horn growing on his head; his eyes glowed with arcs of electricity as he stared ahead from the mountain pass.

Upon seeing this person, Chu Feng was immediately delighted. Wasn’t this the Chiru King?! The horn that he had broken had been regrown so fast.

"It’s me."

Chu Feng’s appearance was truly miserable. Covered in dust, his clothes had turned into mere rags and his hair was a mess behind him.

There were droplets of mud on his face which made it difficult to even recognize him without a careful look.

"You.."

The Chiru King stared at him as he edged backward step by step; he was shocked to the extreme. He had never thought that it would be Chu Feng—hadn’t this demon king died already?

"You can’t be..."

"Shh!" Chu Feng indicated that he should keep quiet about his identity before walking forward in large strides.

After the torment he went through the last time, there was a black shadow in the Chiru King’s heart. He had nurtured his horn for quite a long time before he was able to restore it to this state. Now, after seeing that Demon King Chu had come back from the dead, he was filled with complex emotions.

"Guard the pass well. Immediately sound the alarm if anything is amiss!" the Chiru King instructed his subordinates.

He personally led Chu Feng into the mountain. The chiru was full of caution as he asked Chu Feng in a hushed tone about his situation; it was common knowledge to the outside world that Chu Feng had died at the Vatican.

"I’ll tell you all about it later," Chu Feng instructed him not to reveal the news of his arrival while he himself headed directly for the Demon Ox Palace. He wanted to meet up with the two oxen first and foremost.

"He’s definitely up to no good!" the Chiru King cursed in silence. Almost immediately, he recalled many things—with his character, it was impossible that he would lay low for so long after suffering so much at the Vatican."

When his thoughts arrived at this point, the Chiru King’s eyes went wide as he felt a shiver run down his back. He was greatly shocked inside; could it be that the huge ruckus in Europe was caused by this guy?

He felt all his hair stand on end and decided that he could never offend this demon king ever again. This person was truly too terrifying, no different from an actual demon.

A majestic castle stood atop this lofty mountain—this was the Demon Ox Palace.

Atop the mountain, the spiritual energy was dense; a clear spring and trees with crystalline green leaves bearing fragrant red fruits could be seen.

"Ah, brother, you’re back. How come you didn’t notify us earlier!" the black yak oddly roared as he rushed over.

"Chu Feng!" Yellow Ox also came running.

They were all in their human forms, excited and passionate. These days, they had been parted by death with the two oxen thinking that Chu Feng had died for them, causing them to feel extremely guilty.

"Ha, ha, it’s good that you’re back. But why do you look so miserable?" The black yak laughed.

"You can try running 15,000 kilometers day and night." Chu Feng snapped back. The worst part was that he frequently veered off course and had to make repeated corrections.

The two oxen were entertaining a guest, who also walked out behind them. After seeing Chu Feng, his mouth opened wide as if he had seen a ghost. This was, in fact, the Black Bear.

When Chu Feng first arrived at Mount Kunlun, the Black Bear had personally escorted him here atop a huge silver bird.

The Black Bear was shocked after seeing the "dead" Chu Feng return. He said nothing else and turned away to call someone on the communicator.

Chu Feng was dumbfounded; he thought that the old bear would give him a warm welcome. He wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction.

The Black Bear felt extremely uneasy inside and couldn’t resist directly calling his grandson, Xiong Kun, on the communicator. Covering his face and mouth with the other hand, he roared, "Have you been harming your ancestors again!?"

Far away in Shuntian, Xiong Kun was stunned. What had caused his grandpa to go mad? The indiscriminate roar had almost torn his eardrums.

"Grandpa, what happened?" Xiong Kun cautiously asked.

The Black Bear whispered, "You haven’t been going around insulting Demon King Chu, have you?"

With his acute sense of hearing, Chu Feng naturally heard everything. Immediately, he was dumbfounded. You cowardly bear! It turns out that you’re just afraid.

At Shuntian, Xiong Kun felt extremely odd. Earlier, he had really wanted to curse Chu Feng to his heart’s content.

However, in the end, he became hesitant after receiving Hu Sheng’s influence and did not say anything unrestrainedly. At the same time, he was also afraid that the two oxen would trouble his grandpa.

"No, I didn’t do anything. What’s the matter? Isn’t he already dead?" Xiong Kun asked.

"It’s best that you don’t. Shut your mouth tight and do not utter a single word that would offend King Chu, you hear?!" the Black Bear sternly warned before hanging up.

Back at Shuntian, Xiong Kun was petrified.

His group of friends were all puzzled, asking him what the matter was.

"Something is not right!" Xiong Kun was extremely strong and muscular, but he was not lacking in brains either. He pondered over his grandpa’s words and felt a shiver run down his back; he had his own suspicions.

After Hu Sheng and Lu Qing were told of this matter, all of them became frightened. They looked at each other and felt that it was almost unbelievable.

That day, a piece of news began circulating within Shuntian that Chu Feng might not have died.

"Where did this rumor come from? What a joke! Even the Vatican has confirmed his death, who still dares to say he’s alive?"

At the Peacock Race base, people like the Ash Wolf tribe members were all laughing at this seemingly ridiculous news.

"He’s still alive?!" Jiang Luoshen was astonished as her eyes went wide.

"Impossible, it had long since been confirmed that Chu Feng had died. How come he’s alive again? This is probably just a rumor." Xia Qianyu shook her head.

After the major powers received this news, they all maintained a suspicious attitude; there was no solid supporting evidence.

At Mount Kunlun, after talking with his grandson, the Black Bear felt relieved. He rushed back towards Chu Feng with confidence and gave him a huge bear hug, congratulating him on his return.

"After escaping calamity, good fortune will surely follow. Brother Chu is destined to become a saint ancestor; in the future, we will be depending on brother Chu to guide us!" The Black Bear was nauseatingly passionate.

He had been officially called into Mount Kunlun; there really was no choice in the matter since his homestead was the closest to Mount Kunlun, and he did not dare to refuse the summons. From today on, he would have his own mountain peak within the Kunlun range.

He could be considered tied into the Kunlun war chariot; with its victory, he would receive great benefits, and with its downfall, he would also fall into a miserable state.

Chu Feng’s safe arrival shocked all the kings of Kunlun; before long, a horde of beast kings had rushed into the Demon Ox Palace. After personally seeing him, everyone was astonished.

The Horse King, in the form of a bald giant, loudly laughed. "I always knew Brother Chu was an extraordinary person with great fortune and great destiny. A great match for my daughter."

Unexpectedly, he was bringing up his daughter again; the whole group roared with laughter.

"Brother Chu, what did you go through all this time? Tell us," a green-haired lady in court attire came over. She was elegant and lithe, fair and spirited—this was the Weaver King.

The group of kings were all curious of Chu Feng’s adventures and it was no longer possible for Chu Feng to keep things a secret. He summarized all that had happened and informed the lot.

After a while, the whole palace became deathly silent as the group of beast kings were stunned. They all drew in a breath of cold air before breaking into a standing ovation, praising the fierce man who wreaked havoc in the West. No one had thought it was actually Chu Feng.

The many shocking exploits he narrated were a true challenge to the tenacity of the audience’s nerves.

"Everyone, please temporarily keep my brother’s situation a secret," the black yak warned.

This was a decision that he had arrived at after discussing with Chu Feng and the Yellow Ox. If news of Chu Feng’s exploits were to be revealed and provoked the reclusive mysterious entities of Europe, it would cause a huge tempest.

At the time, the experts with six shackle severed such as Elder Lion King, the Black Dragon, and the Vampire King would be enraged and attempt to kill him at all costs.

"Wait till we root out all those old demons and then we won’t have to be afraid!" Yellow Ox said.

"Naturally!" The Mastiff King nodded; he was an expert who had severed six shackles, and his words were very influential in Kunlun.

As the crowd finally dispersed, Chu Feng immediately asked Yellow Ox to check if his realm was stable enough.

"Very stable!" Yellow Ox was pleasantly surprised. This could all be attributed to the various encounters and battles Chu Feng had gone through during his time in the West.

"Very well, then I’m relieved!" Chu Feng was overjoyed. He was now prepared to plant that seed and evolve once again.

That night, a piece of news shook the whole world; it was said that the Lion King and the Vampire King were now studying the lay of the land near Mount Kunlun, preparing for a great battle!

At the same time, news of India’s Ancient Yoga Guru Fanlin had also arrived at Mount Kunlun some time ago and had been chanting non-stop to raise his strength came as well.

Following that, there was also news that Schiller was making his move and would arrive at Mount Kunlun very soon.

Everyone realized that the decisive battle would arrive soon. Very soon in fact.