The Sacred Ruins

Chapter 126: A Transcendent Evolution

Translator: Alsey Editor: Chrissy

The time was past midnight, and the distant night was shrouded by complete darkness.

Only at this location, a silvery light could be seen flowing about.

With the gentle caress of the night breeze, the crystalline leaves jingled excitedly with an ear pleasing melody.

Chu Feng sat amidst this delightful concert, calm as the void in both body and mind, reaching a state of epiphany.

Chu Feng felt greatly astonished. The melodious chime of silvery leaves awakened him to a great emptiness from deep within. It was a surreal feeling of detachment.

It was as if the music of a great dao was being sung.

He hesitated for but a moment before circulating the Thunderous Breathing Technique, attempting to use it to temper his body.

Within an instant, Chu Feng felt his whole body, bones and joints constantly emit sounds—not the clattering sounds one would expect, but a clear and melodious sound, akin to the collision of metal.

Suddenly, he felt his bones go limp with numbness, and this feeling spread towards his four limbs.

Following that, his five viscera were also resonating rhythmically with the thunderous beats, refining them and covering them with a layer of translucent energy.

Chu Feng was greatly surprised. It appears that the Thunderous Breathing Technique today was several times more efficient, to the point of him being able to sense the empowering changes taking place. What could be the reason behind this?

He gazed at the tree, wondering if it was due to the chime of those silvery leaves.

After he had finished practicing the Thunderous Breathing Technique, he felt light and agile. He couldn’t help but notice the presence of a type of sweat-like liquid stuck on his body. It seems to have originated from within this flesh and blood, expelled due to the great pressure within.

Chu Feng was certain that he was at the peak of the ninth level of the Awakened Realm. He had a sufficiently solid foundation that would be of help to him during his imminent breakthrough.

He was yet to use the breathing technique that Yellow Ox had taught him. He was waiting for the right time, for the flowers on the silver tree to burst into bloom.

He sat there fully prepared.

With the gradual flow of time, the tree stopped growing when it was close to two meters tall. Nonetheless, it remained exuberant as its roots dug deeper and its silver leaves grew abundant.

The vicinity had turned into a field of argent white as silvery light poured down torrentially.

Additionally, the trunk was growing increasingly thick and vigorous, completely unlike a young tree that had grown overnight, but akin to an ancient tree that had seen the passage of several hundred years. Its bark was cracked and uneven, revealing the silvery halo within.

Chu Feng examined the tree with his hands and couldn’t help but notice the pulse of life from within. It was as if it was a coagulation of vigor and vitality.

Suddenly, its life force burst forth, showering the surrounding with silver light as a spot appeared at the very apex of the tree, where an astonishing agglomeration of vitality could be found.

Within the blink of an eye, that spot was akin to the blossom of a small sun—a small bud was taking form, gradually being nurtured into being.

Chu Feng could hardly wait for the moment of truth. He had waited long and hard for this seed to gestate and bloom.

Not betraying his expectations, the bud was completely formed shortly—about an inch in size, small and delicate.

As silvery light rained down from the tree, the whole area had turned into a field of white. An aura of sanctity hung in the air, as if one were in a mythical realm where gods sat in meditation under the treasure tree.

Chu Feng remained silent as his gaze remained unshifting upon the bud.

Suddenly, he felt a slight fluctuation off in the distance that caused him to frown.

Within a different patch of the bewildering mist, some life forms were approaching quietly.

Isolated by the bewildering mist, Chu Feng’s divine instinct was greatly limited, but his sense of hearing, however, was largely unaffected. He was able to hear minute sounds inaudible to normal people.

What he feared the most was such a scenario—he wanted to wait for the flower to bloom in peace and quiet.

To that end, he had walked far and wide before finding this remote corner of the bewildering mist, within which even beast kings could lose their way. Unexpectedly, there was someone who did not fear death and wandered to where he was.

That lifeform was extremely cautious. It treaded lightly and circled around behind Chu Feng. Only after observing for seven or eight minutes did it pounce forward for the kill.

Its foot long claws were visible through the darkness as it came tearing at Chu Feng’s throat with a sinister gleam.

What came into view was a large cloud panther. Its whole body decorated with dense patterns and emitted an aura of danger. It opened its bloody maw, revealing its long fangs, which was truly a terrifying sight.

It wanted to kill with a single decisive strike.

This was a truly powerful beast. It saw the extraordinary silver tree on the verge of budding and realized there was great fortune to be found here.

The beast and the human races were able to exist in a state of ceasefire in this region, given that no astonishing opportunities appeared. However, once a fortuitous encounter presented itself, casualties cannot be avoided.

Peng!

Chu Feng swiftly turned his body and let loose a kick which landed on the beast’s claws. With a cracking sound, the claws were snapped.

The cloud pather was greatly shocked. All hair stood on end as it realized that it had kicked a steel plate. It opened its jaws, about to let out a roar!

Peng!

Chu Feng would not give it such an opportunity. He lept through the air with all his might and before the panther could react, a kick had landed on its forehead, splitting the skull completely.

Plop!

The cloud panther collapsed with its mouth open wide. No sound came out, only a constant flow of fresh blood.

Chu Feng no longer looked that way. He was thoughtful. Even though he had come so deep into the bewildering mist, he was still met with trouble.

What would he do if there were disturbances like this when the flower blossomed.

He was slightly anxious. Even though this place was the ideal place for the seed to sprout, it was also a troublesome location with enemies possibly lurking in every corner.

"I can only hope for a smooth breakthrough!"

Following that, the bud on the silver tree grew into the size of a fist but didn’t stop there.

However, the speed with which it was maturing seems to have slowed down substantially.

"At this rate, the sun is going to rise!" Chu Feng complained. Looking at his watch, he noted that the time was past midnight.

Why did it slow down? This puzzled him quite a bit since initially, the tree had grown at a rapid pace to reach nearly two meters in height.

Nonetheless, time flowed on through the quiet night.

Fortunately, no other beasts approached his location, and even the wind had stilled.

Finally, close to dawn, the trunk had shown no changes, but the resplendent buds had grown to the size of bowls, with silvery light shifting around them.

A vague fragrance permeated the air.

At this moment, Chu Feng was truly nervous, because the critical moment had arrived.

Sounds of hurried footsteps could be heard from a distance. It appears someone was running for his life. Eventually, the sounds faded towards another direction.

Following that, he heard the cry of eagles. The ear piercing sound was akin to the grinding of metal plates. It was a terrifying life form, apparently flying through the bewildering mist, unaware of Chu Feng.

"Don’t come near!" Chu Feng silently prayed, or else it would be quite troublesome.

"Pop!"

With the arrival of dawn, a fissure appeared on the surface of the flower bud as streams of misty light shot out as a clear fragrance diffused into the air.

However, the flower stopped blooming after this point—even the fragrance had dissipated somewhat.

"Why is it taking so long to bloom? It’s taking so much longer than last time," Chu Feng pondered with doubt.

This lasted until the faintest color of white could be discerned in the East, the sign of imminent sunrise!

A great distance away, the sound of brutal killing could be heard. Normally inaudible, the sounds were picked up by the extraordinary senses possessed by Chu Feng—it was probably a quasi-beast king!

The sound of activity was too powerful!

The cry of eagles pierced the ear, and one could feel the terrifying aura wandering within the bewildering mist.

Chu Feng sighed in his heart. He had the bad luck to encounter quasi beast kings in melee, even though he came to such a remote area.

Pop!

At this moment, the flower bud on the silvery tree released one of its petals.

Right at this moment, the first rays of sunlight burst through the morning mist and pierced through the bewildering haze, showering onto the silver tree.

In the blink of an eye, the tree grew incomparably resplendent. Its silver color turned to a golden yellow, a truly drastic change.

Similar changes took place for the bowl-sized flower buds as they took on a brass colored hue.

The rain of sunlight was like a catalyst, instantly transforming the silver tree into a splendorous golden tree.

Following these changes, golden light spilled forth from the flowers as the buds burst into full bloom at the same time. The golden mist poured into the vicinity, covering Chu Feng.

In great amazement, he concluded that the slow growth of the tree during the latter phases was possibly to wait for the first rays of the sun.

The most bizarre thing about it was probably the golden mist from within the flower buds, which was now enshrouding Chu Feng.

Armed with prior experience, he was able to keep his composure. He calmly circulated the special breathing technique and took in the mysterious pollen.

He had long since come prepared, readily taking off his jacket and putting it to one side to expose himself.

Almost immediately, he felt all his pores relax as the mist swiftly entered his body through them. His nose and mouth were filled with fragrant golden mist.

He felt greatly intoxicated, almost to the point of being drunk. It was easy to lose oneself in this enchanting fragrance, producing a feeling of unable to break free.

As he circulated the special breathing technique, he sensed a mysterious energy wandering around within his body. It felt extremely warm and comfortable.

Chu Feng almost felt the illusion of undergoing ascension, to become an immortal.

The fragrance of the flowers penetrated deep into the heart and soul. It reached the marrows, organs and even blood, and disseminated throughout one’s whole being, nourishing everything it encompassed.

This was especially the case while circulating the special breathing technique, which accelerated the intake of golden mist. Chu Feng trembled as he felt the evident changes in his body—his body was being strengthened at an astonishing speed. He was rapidly evolving!

Later on, he felt his joints and viscera resonating thunderously, akin to the collision of metals.

His body was covered in a sticky secretion that was expelled from within.

Beneath the sticky substance, Chu Feng’s body was as if it was cast from divine metal, possessing astonishing power and it was still evolving.

It was just like the last time. After the blooming, the fragrance did not propagate very far, but instead formed a gold mist which enshrouded Chu Feng.

This type of mysterious pollen did not propagate. Its range was limited to within a few feet.

Thump, thump, thump...

Chu Feng’s heartbeat was like loud drum beats as his blood rushed towards all his bones and limbs.

Later on, his heartbeat grew even louder, and under the effects of the special breathing technique, his whole body was undergoing astonishing changes, appearing increasingly crystalline and luminescent.

His hair also grew at an explosive speed, hanging down to his waist with a glowing radiance.

His bones were continuously grinding as if they were producing more blood and undergoing reconstruction.

Chu Feng discovered within him a power which greatly exceeded his previous strength. During this phase of empowerment, his whole body was like a divine furnace, containing immeasurable energy within.

Eventually, his whole body was painted a light golden hue and even his hair started to gain a yellow glow to it.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

At this moment, his heart beat was even more terrifying, full of vigorous energy. Any onlooker would, no doubt, be shocked at this scene.

However, Chu Feng was feeling comfortable with the changes taking place. His pupils would occasionally shoot out strands of golden light, an indication that he was breaking through to the Shackled Realm. He would soon be able to rival beast kings!

Boom!

Chu Feng’s body shook acutely as if some sort of connection had been established. Momentarily, he felt his senses increase sharply, and even this bewildering mist could no longer blind his divine instinct—it was even more powerful than before!