Chapter 319: Return
The sound of scriptures touched Chu Feng’s spirit. What was it that he hoped for the most on the road to evolution? Without a doubt, it was a top grade breathing technique!
This concerned his future path because the world was declining and inheritances were too few and far between. This place could only be considered a wasteland when compared to most of those realms with shocking levels of energy.
The arts from this world were simply not enough for them to compete with the life forms from the outer regions.
Before him, a scripture tube appeared on the near-rotten Bodhi tree, within which was a scripture. It swayed slightly as the sound of scriptures were transmitted to him.
Chu Feng discarded all distracting thoughts. He filtered out the other scripture sounds and focused his hearing on a single voice. That was the true Thunderous Breathing Technique!
His heart began to race and his body tensed up as he listened to the scripture. His limbs and bones were all resonating and emitting peals of thunder.
That Bodhi Tree was quite mysterious. It used to be a tree of enlightenment in the past, but was reversed after its death and was now able to disrupt one’s dao. However, it was still able to suspend the scripture and pass on the art even in its current state.
This was somewhat bizarre.
Chu Feng didn’t care about that and only poured his heart into engraving the technique into his memory. Its original technique was similar to the one obtained from the Thunderous Bow—it should be a type of peerless inheritance!
At the moment, Chu Feng’s body was breathing along with his spirit and the two intersected.
He had practiced an incomplete version of the Thunderous Breathing Technique and hence, there was no sluggishness when he circulated the technique. The fluids in his body began to rise and fall along with the sound of the scripture.
However, he noticed a certain problem. The scripture tube on the withered Bodhi tree, from which the breathing technique was being transmitted, was damaged. Its interior was revealed and half the scroll had been torn.
This caused his heart to sink, but he couldn’t care about so much at the moment. He could only memorize what he had at present.
The earth, at present, had only a few breathing techniques and even those were pitifully small in number.
Every orthodoxy would possess many types of breathing techniques in the higher level realms. They would cultivate them together and produce beneficial results. Core disciples would all know several breathing techniques, allowing them increased efficiency.
How could the legendary Thunderous Breathing Technique not make Chu Feng excited? This type of art possessed shocking origins even in the outer regions.
If he could grasp this technique and combine it with the one Yellow Ox had taught him, the benefits would be simply too great!
However, as he was circulating his breathing technique, the material in his body became increasingly wild. It flickered rapidly between black and silver at an astonishing frequency.
Chu Feng himself felt alarmed. He felt something wasn’t quite right.
His energy would be suppressed to a trough when the black substance appeared, pushing him down to the lowest evolved level. This caused him great distress.
But when the silver substance emerged, the energy in his body would reach the strongest state—he could almost sever his sixth shackle and evolve once again. His blood boiled like rolling thunder and his heart thumped like the beat of a drum, heavy and shocking.
The black substance seemed to be pounding on the energy in his body and suppressing it to the lowest level and cleanly obliterating everything. The white substance, on the other hand, was helping him recover.
Not long afterwards, the sound of the scripture turned weak as the scroll within the broken scripture tube flipped its last page.
Chu Feng wished to continue and felt that he was lacking a crucial moment. He wanted nothing more than to climb that tree and retrieve that scripture for a detailed study.
He stood at his original position for a moment before turning back to glance at Yellow Ox, the old llama and the others who still hadn’t woken up. This made him frown... how was he supposed to save them?
He raised his head and gazed at the Bodhi tree. Everything was related to it, but how should he solve this problem?
Chu Feng was certain he would probably have fallen into a deep sleep and not wake up even now had he not been wary after seeing the situation of Yellow Ox, the old llama and the others.
He was only able to extricate himself quickly because he was wary and on guard.
"Since everything is related to that Bodhi tree, I might be able to change the present situation if I shake it up."
Chu Feng moved towards the tree after deciding to take the risk. His body was swaying wildly with every step. He continuously carved domain symbols into the ground to disperse the pressure.
That was because the two figures under the Bodhi tree were emanating a terrifying aura. The pressure tore even the air apart and wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to it. The scene was frightening.
During this process, the alternation and circulation of the black and white substances were astonishing.
In the end, black and white intersected and his body gradually turned grey as an odd hazy mist seeped out from his pores.
Boom!
Chu Feng arrived closer to the tree but was also badly wounded. His body was full of lacerations and almost exploded on the spot.
That was because the two figures under the tree were too powerful. The aura seeping out from them could almost blast apart the five kilometers of Buddhist holy ground. It was suffocating.
Chu Feng carved a dense network of symbols on the ground to dissolve the suppressive might but he was still wounded. He gasped for air as fresh blood trickled down from the lacerations on his body.
He had never encountered such a case where he was wounded out of combat. He had never been suppressed so much by any living being’s aura. This was too shocking.
"It seems breaking shackles is really not enough." He sighed.
Very soon, goosebumps began to rise all over his body because the Bodhisattva and the demonic sage had begun to change.
The two experts were originally extremely lifelike, but in the end, they collapsed and melted away before vanishing completely.
Even the shiny armor and the sharp spear shared the same fate. All of them became specks of light which disappeared completely.
In their original position under the Bodhi tree were two drops of blood. They weren’t very bright-colored and lacked any luster as they appeared amidst the earth and rocks. Although they didn’t dry up, they were lacking vitality.
Chu Feng was shaken. Was everything here caused by two drops of blood?
Were the Bodhisattva and demonic sage materialized from these two drops of blood?
Just how strong were the lifeforms at that level? Chu Feng began to palpitate. A mere two drops of dark and lightless blood was able to possess such might. This was too shocking.
The two remnant drops of blood had suppressed him until his body was full of lacerations. If a true body were to descend, the result would be unimaginable.
Chi!
Chu Feng moved. He swayed gently and arrived before the withered Bodhi tree. He didn’t dare use the flying knife and also didn’t bring out the diamond chakram. That was because he wasn’t sure damaging the tree would bring about the desired effect.
One had to know that his consciousness was previously swallowed by the Buddhist light vortex on the Bodhi tree. He was worried that his friends’ consciousnesses were still within the withered tree.
But even so, sounds of decayed wood were heard and certain branches were broken when he tried to gently shake the tree. It was simply too brittle.
At this moment, the scripture on the Bodhi tree disappeared.
Chu Feng glanced back and found that there was still no movement among the great demons of Kunlun.
He ground his teeth and moved forward once again. The lacerations on his body increased even more. He moved around the two drops of blood and arrived on the other side of the main tree trunk. He began to pound on this tree which even half a dozen people couldn’t wrap around.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Barks fell from the old tree as its giant branches trembled.
Chu Feng felt intense pain all over his body. The black and white substances were circulating madly while he was injured by the suppression. This caused his cultivation to fluctuate between being an expert with six severed shackles and an ordinary person.
"Father, grandfather, don’t die!"
Suddenly, Chu Feng heard Yellow Ox’s voice. He was talking in his sleep. It seemed he was having a nightmare.
"I don’t want to step on that path. I don’t want that kind of opportunity. I only want you to live. I can also become a sage in his world and help our tribe find a path to survival!"
Yellow Ox’s face was full of tears. He had already transformed into a young boy. He was half awake as he cried in sorrow with his eyes closed.
Chu Feng was startled. There were actually such secrets hidden within Yellow Ox’s seemingly innocent heart. What happened to his tribe? It seemed they had encountered a sect destroying calamity and required him to find a path to survival.
Chu Feng understood that Yellow Ox had been drawn into sadness and lost within the dream. He had secrets that were unknown to outsiders and that became his weak spot.
Finally, Yellow Ox sat up laboriously and opened his eyes. He quickly wiped away his tears and glanced around.
"Chu Feng?!" Astonishment was evident on his young face.
Chu Feng smiled at him but didn’t mention how he was crying just now. He knew the latter might not want this to be known. At least he should feign ignorance for the time being. In the future, he would do everything in his power if he could help Yellow Ox.
Chu Feng continued to pound the Bodhi tree. Before long, the old llama came to and sat up. Although the latter’s eyes were dark and his body was devoid of energy, one could sense that he had strengthened a certain belief. His whole person possessed a completely different temperament.
Chu Feng’s hands and finger webs were torn, as was his body. There were simply too many wounds due to the suppression of the two drops of blood. His corporeal body was about to collapse.
"Chu Feng, come back quickly. Don’t continue!" Yellow Ox cried out.
The old llama recited a Buddhist chant and also told Chu Feng to return. The latter’s current condition was certainly not good and would undoubtedly die if he continued.
Chu Feng got up and staggered back along the same path. He wanted to save people but he didn’t want to die. He had already tried his best.
Right now, there were frightening lacerations on his body through which even the bones were visible. His whole body was about to fall apart.
This was too terrifying. Even the Mastiff King and the peerless Elder Lion King hadn’t woken up and lay there without moving at all. Only Yellow Ox and the old llama had woken up in the end.
Chu Feng could no longer hold on after returning and fell head first onto the ground. His blood flowed out continuously and dyed the ground red.
"We can’t touch this tree carelessly, and neither can we bring these people with us. We can only hope they’ll wake up on their own or perhaps we’ll be able to return to rouse them when we grow stronger," said the old llama.
Yellow Ox nodded in agreement. This place was simply too dangerous for them.
At this time, Yellow Ox and the old llama had been robbed clean of their energy and were like ordinary people.
This place destroys cultivation!
The Bodhi tree was reversed by someone and now had an opposite effect. Not only did it not help people on the dao, but on the contrary, it damaged their foundations.
"I’ll come back to save you all next time," Chu Feng said feebly. His current situation was too miserable.
"What’s going on? A temple appeared." Yellow Ox was surprised because a vast temple had appeared behind the Bodhi tree, releasing boundless Buddhist radiance.
In front of this silently appearing temple were a large number of scripture tubes placed side by side. Within them were scroll after scroll of scriptures.
Chu Feng’s eyes constricted as he noticed a particular scripture tube which stood out from the masses and he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. It was carved from stone and appeared quite special.
"Let’s go!" The old llama’s willpower was firm. He lowered his head after a single glance and no longer gazed at it.
Yellow Ox also sighed lightly. It was a great attraction, but a fatal one nonetheless. They would die without a doubt if they went in their current condition.
Chu Feng didn’t say anything and only looked on.
In the end, the old llama and Yellow Ox carved a few words on the ground and left carrying Chu Feng.
Both of them had Buddhist items on them and were able to get through without harm. They left the five-kilometer Buddhist holy ground, pushed open the bronze-covered and mottled Bodhi wood door to walk out of the ancient temple.
"You’re finally out!" The Snow Leopard King was extremely anxious and restless.
"How long has it been?" Chu Feng asked him because, upon coming out, he saw that the sun was out and the snowfall had receded. Apparently, some time had already passed.
"It’s been nine days," the Snow Leopard King informed.
Many great incidents had happened in the outside world during this time.
"The marine race is holding a grand meeting and have sent invitations to the experts of the continent."
This first matter had already astonished Chu Feng because he was also an invitee.