The Sacred Ruins

“The Fallen Phoenix Hill is too dangerous, it has not been easy to clear a path using the Heavenly Ladder and avoid disaster. Please hold back on using it easily, we should find another way on this domain.”

The group was fairly distressed. Although their eyes were fiery, they did not have the courage to get close to the little tree at the center of the divine land as menacing symbols kept flashing from the soil and stones not far away from them. This caused fear among the men, and they continued their strategy discussion in hushed tones.

The roots of the small trees were grainy, and from time to time, they would spray out red, gold, and purple earthen qi which intertwined with the gold box buried there.

Chu Feng was excited as he realized that, besides the great medicine, the soil here had special energies surpassing the awakening famed mountains of the outside world. Perhaps it could be used to grow his three seeds.

He had high expectations for the three seeds, as even the stone box was used to keep the three mysterious seeds.

Chu Feng analyzed the group of men and realized they were only focused on the immortality medicine—they didn’t pay much attention to the soil here. He felt more relaxed about the latter path.

He backed away and stood in front of the Heavenly Ladder. He had designs on the ladder and was thinking whether he could put away the ladder and block the men’s path forward.

But he did not act recklessly, realizing that putting away the Heaven’s Ladder sprawled across the Fallen Phoenix Hill would take enormous effort and would cause a huge scene.

It was the Fallen Phoenix Hill they were talking about. An accident might happen anytime, hence, there was a need for patience and extreme alert.

It would be a disadvantage to Chu Feng should the group be alerted to his plans. He might not be able to collect the ladder in time before the men reached him.

Chu Feng remained stationary. He camped there, waiting for the group of men to clear the path to the divine medicine, waiting to strike at the right moment.

“I wish you all best of luck and success in crossing this obstacle! I’ll be waiting for your success.” Chu Feng thought to himself.

Chu Feng remained well hidden in ambush and wished them the best of luck and success in their endeavor.

There was no greenery around the land, but the plants that grew here had unique shapes, similar to agate and emerald, brimming with light and energy.

Beneath the stone cracks lay a huge golden ginseng as big as a full grown carrot. It was shining brightly, which made one admire its powerful medicinal properties.

A four feet high Jujube tree lay not far off, filled with green shiny leaves and purple fruit. The plant bore a unique scent with extremely sharp thorns.

“Argh!” a man exclaimed.

An old man tried pulling the big, golden radish-like Ginseng but was attacked by the Jujube Tree.

A host of lustrous, purple thorns flew out from the Jujube Tree and shot straight through his skull and body, instantly killing him.

“Sh*t! Be Careful!”

A domain researcher shouted, warning the others not to move around recklessly.

“Boom”

Not far away, a walnut tree suddenly erupted with energy without any human contact whatsoever. Some of its walnut fruits were silver, and some were golden. Some of the golden walnuts were ripe for destruction, flying out and exploding amidst the group, causing massive destruction far more potent than most destructive weapons.

The group of old men was blasted to the sky, some drenched in blood and some blasted to pieces—it was a sorrowful sight.

Fortunately, the golden walnuts were quite targeted, exploding amidst mushroom clouds shortly after flying out. The shockwaves didn’t spread in every direction and were quickly absorbed by the domains here.

Even so, it created a frightful scene. The land began emitting more mysterious symbols as if being awakened from the events.

A total of three men were killed from the two events.

The group turned pale, realizing the plants here were abnormal and should be avoided at all costs.

The land seemed peaceful at first glance, but in fact, every step was full of murderous traps. The group of merry men was left with gloomy expressions as they realized that the plants on this land could be harnessed as weapons.

Chu Feng, staying put on his green boat, was left startled. It was quite fortunate that this group was clearing the path and being guinea pigs. Otherwise, he would probably have paid dearly for plucking that big ginseng “carrot”.

“I had no choice but to use the magnetic powder, but… what a pity.”

The Deity clan elder exclaimed as he carefully removed his spatial bracelet and produced some lustrous red powder from within.

In the distance, Chu Feng was stunned. The Deity race was indeed a top ten clan possessing countless years of accumulation. Their foundations were astonishing.

The magnetic powder was a rare material and a byproduct of divine magnets. It could weaken the energy and special effects of divine magnets.

But such magnetic powder was extremely rare and valuable. Even on resource-rich planets, it as whard to locate a divine magnetic mine. It was considered great luck should one magnetic mine out of 10 was found to produce the magnetic powder.

At the same time, the domain master drew out a few broken domain flags. He planned to neutralize the plants and domain by covering the flag with bright red magnetic powder.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh…

Eight little triangular flags were released into the air, each covered in bright red magnetic powder. Each of the flags proceeded to plant themselves firmly on the ground.

The mysterious symbols slowly disappeared and vanished completely.

“Bring out more of those, it’s clearly insufficient!”Another domain master roared, sensing the lurking danger. He dared not cross over recklessly.

Another eight little flags, covered in bright red magnetic powder, flew upward and proceeded to root themselves onto the ground, forming a path leading to the magical tree.

Chu Feng was impressed by the Deity race’s prowess. They were actually able to utilize such rare magnetic powders to neutralize the domain. It seemed they might succeed.

Swoosh!

An elder took the courage to step forward and was not obstructed by any harmful threats. He began increasing his speed and pace, almost reaching the magical tree with only 100 steps separating him and the tree.

“Great!”

The men behind were joyous and excited, all staring at the immortal medicine, their mind only focused on obtaining the treasured golden box beneath the tree.

“Chi!”

All of a sudden, the perceived “safe” path started emitting mysterious symbols and terrifying energy as the domains awakened.

“Help me!” the elder cried.

The domain master turned pale and heartbroken for having to use more of his magnetic powder. However, he still drew out more of his treasured powder and flung them out toward the elder in front of him.

The magnetic powder could only neutralize the domain for a short while. Not long afterward, the land started glowing, and a sharp energy beam went straight through the elder’s hand, amputating his arm and shoulder, and nearly reaching his skull.

“Quick, do not hold back. Keep using the magnetic powder until the elder manages to retrieve the immortal medicine and bring back the treasured box.”

Another domain master urged the elder to not waste any more time and go for it.

Chi… Chi…. Chi…

The sky was scattered with bright red magnetic powder. The Deity race practically emptied the entire stock in the bracelet, filling the dangerous path with specks of red light.

The domain finally reverted to its peaceful state and no longer emitted a terrifying energy aura.

The broken-armed elder went forward with the speed of light. One hundred steps were just too close for him—he arrived before the magical tree in one step and was about to pluck the fruits.

Pfft!

At the very last critical moment, the huge vine beside the tree stood upright like a spear and stabbed over at lightning speed—it was almost as though it had come alive.

In that instant, blood splattered everywhere as the black vine pierced the elder’s chest and picked him up. At the same time, a robotic voice started humming.

“After careful examination, the blood belongs to an enemy race and not a native of this planet. The enemies of the past have invaded!”

A pitch black energy pagoda appeared around the vine, emitting spiritual energy fluctuations.

Just like Mount Qingling, any person wishing to obtain the treasure of the land would have his bloodline and constitution examined. The elder of the Deity clan was unfortunately rejected.

“Behead the Deity!”

The black inheritance pagoda released an eerie light. Accompanying his last three words, the 36 connected peaks also began emitting a weak radiance.

“Run!”

The domain masters were frightened by the robotic voice. Their faces immediately went pale as they shouted at the broken-armed elder.

Chi!

One of the 36 mountain peaks started cracking open like the mouth of a deity, and a dazzling beam of light shot out toward the pure land.

The broken armed elder’s head rolled off, burst into flames, and was reduced to ashes, destroyed in both form and spirit.

That was a dangerous terrain capable of murdering even a saint, and there was simply no telling how terrifying it was. Killing an expert two levels higher than the visualization realm wasn’t difficult at all.

The 16 flags previously firmly rooted on the ground were destroyed instantly as well. They vanished into thin air, leaving only the magnetic powder scattered all over the domain.

Chi!

The glowing energy light started circling around like a huge dragon roaming the sky in circles, killing the two domain masters and eight elders. Heads were rolling down and burned to ashes after having burst into flames.

The group of men on the sidelines was too frightened to move as the light was too fast for them to react and escape. Should they be struck, there would be no chance of survival.

“We were only one step away from success. In the end… there were so many deaths and casualties. This is extremely regrettable! We need to capture a native tribesman and use him as the specimen for examination and gain access to the immortal medicine!”

An elderly exclaimed, furious on the reality that lay ahead. The Netherworld clan was also stunned in silence, as five of their men had been beheaded.

“Success isn’t guaranteed even if we bring forth a native tribesman. This place is too strange. It is guarded by the black energy pagoda and the fabled Deity Beheading Terrain can turn into a land of death at the slightest carelessness.”

They continued their discussion, each frowning as they went on. Everyone was dejected by the loss and the massive number of casualties. The thought of facing an awakened Fallen Phoenix Hill broke their spirit even further.

It was fortunate that the Heaven’s Ladder was there to hold the fort.

Chu Feng retreated quietly and began preparing in secret. He was getting more excited because should everything go according to plan, he would have a great chance of succeeding in his mission.

He was prepared to start a massacre when this group was on their retreat and somewhat careless. He would take the risk to knock down the magical ladder and send all of them off.

At that time, he could step calmly into the pure land to extract the immortal medicine. Moreover, his bloodline could fulfill the examination requirements and would presumably be in line to retrieve the golden box.

The only risk to his plan was the Fallen Phoenix Hill, as knocking down the magical ladder might have unintended adverse consequences.

Chu Feng flexed his fist and muscles, preparing himself for the execution of his plan. He was excited at the thought of sending the group of men to the pits of death and was already thinking what powers the immortal medicine would grant him. He was wondering whether the medicine could enhance his strength.