The Great Road of Shading the Sky

Chapter 226 Youthful Glory Weeps, Emperor Falls, Worlds Grieve (Breaking the Dark Cycle!)

Chu Feng took out a stone box, intending to use it to store the exotic soil and seeds, since the three seeds were originally stored in this box.

The stone box was three inches tall, square and very regular, with only a shallow groove inside. So he took the black short sword and prepared to dig it out to expand the space specifically for storing the exotic soil.

Who would have thought that the stone in the middle of the stone box was filled in later? As confirmed by Huang Niu, it was a rare soil mixed with secret blood. As the essence dissipated, the whole thing solidified into stone and fused together with the stone box.

The true stone box was made of mysterious material, and the short sword could not damage it in the slightest. Even when the yellow ox attacked it with all its might, sending it flying, there was still no trace of damage.

Seeing that neither the man nor the ox could accomplish anything, Shaohua picked up the stone box and prepared to take matters into her own hands, raising her hand to slap the ox.

Chu Feng and Huang Niu's eyes widened instantly; the stone box had actually reacted!
The seemingly simple and ordinary stone box trembled slightly in her hands and emitted a faint glow.

"Buzz!"

Shao Hua let out a soft exclamation and noticed that one of the edges of the stone box had a crystalline luster. Upon closer inspection, she discovered some hidden secrets.

The so-called crystalline luster is actually a dense network of patterns. If you look closely, you can see what looks like a group of tiny tadpoles swimming around, which is very lively and magical.

As if stimulated by something, she slightly closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them wide. Her eyes shone like a starry river, radiating a dazzling light, and fell on the stone box. She could truly see the essence of the patterns. They looked like some kind of ancient script.

The crystalline patterns spread from that corner, and then the entire stone box glowed, becoming crystal clear, and even emitted a booming sound, faintly revealing some kind of chanting.

Shao Hua felt something in her heart. This was not an ethereal Daoist chant, but a genuine scripture, a profound breathing method, and the very first part seemed quite similar to what the Yellow Ox had taught her.

She wasn't interested in that. When she picked up the stone box, she saw golden symbols appear on one side, along with patches of patterns.

Those are unique terrains that depict numerous magnificent landscapes.

"Um?!"

The next moment, she frowned and saw that all the terrain had turned into a bloody mess, and that one after another, emperor-like figures appeared and disappeared in it.

The emperor is bathed in blood; is this the fall of an emperor?!

"That is."

Suddenly, Shao Hua's breathing became rapid. What did she see?
A figure, tall and slender, with blood-red robes fluttering and long, gray hair flowing freely, stood on a secluded plateau, arrogant and extremely alluring, clearly a major villain. But why did that person look so much like himself?

Strands of blood-red light flowed like crimson clouds, all worlds fell into ruin, emperors fell one after another, darkness covered the sky, and the last era was destroyed by that person!

Her heart pounded, her soul trembled, and she wanted to see clearly what was going on, but unfortunately, the mountains and rivers on the stone box were blurred, and strange mist rose up, engulfing everything.

"Is that me? No! Impossible, how could I be the villain?!"

Shao Hua firmly denied it, insisting that she was clearly a good person and that anyone who dared to call her a villain would be killed on sight!

"Sister, what did you see?" Chu Feng and Huang Niu watched the stone box glow, saw her changing expression, and noticed her muttering to herself. They couldn't help but ask.

But they didn't dare to go up and disturb them, so they jumped around anxiously.

Shao Hua ignored the man and the ox, her eyes shining even brighter, with mysterious patterns intertwining and evolving, like two galaxies flying out and striking the terrifying front edge of the stone box.

This was an instinctive impulse, as if it were some kind of ability she inherently possessed, capable of seeing through illusions and understanding the essence of all things, which even the stone box could not stop.

However, that figure that looked exactly like her was gone forever.

It was as if the extraordinary stone box had only caught a fleeting glimpse of him, or perhaps even the stone box itself could not fully remember that figure.

However, she still managed to see some more things.

A tall and imposing man, with his back to all living beings, fought a bloody battle, but in the end, he lay dead on a broken bell and fell into the deepest hell.
Another figure, resembling a celestial emperor, stood atop a cauldron, wielding golden fists with unparalleled ferocity, yet he too fell.
In addition, she saw a woman in flowing white robes, like a supreme empress soaring through the sky, suppressing the ages, her beauty stunning the past, present, and future.

However, even this stunningly beautiful empress shed tears in the end.
"The Heavenly Emperor has fallen!"

Someone cried out, their voice filled with profound sorrow.

Then, all living beings cried out in anguish, and countless cries came from one great realm after another, and the whole world grieved.

This is the true era of imperial decline. Even the great Heavenly Emperors have perished, and the world is utterly devoid of hope, about to be swallowed up by darkness.

Shaohua stood motionless, lost in thought, as still as a clay or wooden sculpture, with only her beautiful eyes glistening with tears, which silently slid down her flawless face.

Tears fall like pearls, reflecting a lonely face; a heart like jade shatters, speechless.

Born to go east, die to go west, though we are close, we are worlds apart.

Thousands of ages have passed, everything has become the past, even the most glorious era will come to an end, buried in the dust of time, emperors fall and all ages are saddened!

After a long while, Shao Hua slowly came to her senses and gave Chu Feng and Huang Niu, who were standing guard beside her, an apologetic, forced smile.

"It's good that you're alright!" The man and the ox breathed a long sigh of relief.

Having spent so many days together under the same roof, their relationship had grown much closer. After all, who wouldn't like a fairy who is beautiful, approachable, and has a sharp tongue but a kind heart?

"I'm fine, you can keep this for now." Shaohua tossed the stone box to Chu Feng; she didn't really want to touch it anymore lately.

She's already seen everything she can see, so there's no point in continuing to hold onto it.

Most importantly, seeing certain scenes can cause a sudden, inexplicable heartache, and one might even find themselves unable to hold back tears. If one accidentally cries while watching something, that would be rather embarrassing.

Chu Feng hurriedly took the stone box. Huang Niu instinctively wanted to snatch it, but seeing Shao Hua's dejected expression, he suppressed his inner turmoil.

Could it be said that it's mainly afraid of having its skull ripped off with a single slap?
Chu Feng placed the exotic soil into the stone box and then planted the last seed in the soil for easy carrying.

"Um?!"

Suddenly, something surprising happened: after the seeds and the exotic soil were put into the stone box, they began to emit a rich life essence, with green light rising up.

"what's the situation?"

The green light shone on Chu Feng's head, and he cried out in shock that he had actually been cuckolded!
"Moo!" The yellow ox couldn't help but grin and laugh out loud.

Even Shao Hua couldn't help but chuckle when she saw this, covering her mouth and laughing softly.

Despite the laughter, Chu Feng carefully placed the stone box on the table, and the two men and the ox all crowded around to examine it closely.

Inside the stone box, you can roughly see that the seeds are buried in the exotic soil, which is very transparent and looks like many jade particles stuck together.

Shao Hua saw it clearly: the plump seeds shimmered with a greenish light, then stopped moving after a moment, but in the foreign soil they were even more translucent, flowing with a hazy glow.

The seed's vitality was growing stronger, but the stone box concealed its vigorous power, locking it inside and preventing it from leaking out.

"It seems there are signs that it is taking root and sprouting. Perhaps it is not only necessary to cultivate it in foreign soil, but the stone box is also an essential part," Shao Hua said.

Chu Feng's expression turned solemn as he put the stone box away again, and specially sewed a leather pouch for storage. Previously, besides leaving behind two finger bones, the Black Ape had also preserved a piece of its toughest fur, which he had already made into two leather garments, sewn together using the remaining long fur.

Although the workmanship is a bit rough, the fur itself is extraordinary.

There are still quite a few scraps of fur left, enough to sew a pocket.

Shaohua talked on and on to the willow tree in the yard for a long time before finally deciding to keep it.

This tree was born with a spirit, although it cannot be said to have truly gained sentience yet, it is very close to and dependent on her.

"Xiao Chu, Xiao Huang, let's go!" She waved her hand, and a faint smile returned to her beautiful face, as if she had forgotten what had just happened.

Chu Feng's face fell. He didn't object to being called "Little Chu," after all, the person in question was some ancient celestial being from an era whose origins were unknown and whose lineage was beyond verification—a figure of ancestor status.

But when it's associated with something like "Little Yellow," it just doesn't feel right.

"Little Yellow? Isn't that usually a dog's name?!"
Chu Feng's lips twitched. He put on the animal skin coat, unfolded the map he had copied earlier, and headed into the depths of the mountains.

The locations marked on the map are all within the original Taihang Mountains, without involving those ancient, desolate mountains that descended from the mountains.

The journey went smoothly. They visited several marked locations and found mutated plants at each one. The fruits had already been picked, but the stalks remained, hoping that they could continue to bear fruit.

Unfortunately, the people at Celestial Creatures were unaware that the ordinary grass had mutated and would only bear fruit once, meaning their hopes were destined to be dashed.

"Moo!" The yellow ox bellowed, opened its mouth and began to gnaw, swallowing several exotic plants. Having eaten meat every day, it finally looked like a 'cow'.

Chu Feng also took possession of the exotic soil entwined by the roots of the exotic plants.

"It seems that the place marked with a skull on the map is likely the location of the strange tree that's been circulating online. It has already borne fruit, but it's not ripe yet. I estimate that many strange people have already arrived, and a battle is inevitable."

It is said that the exotic fruit that grows on this tree has effects far exceeding those of ordinary grass fruits, and can create top-level masters. For example, the currently popular Silver-Winged Celestial and Vajra gained their powerful strength by eating the tree fruit.

"It's actually White Snake Ridge?!" As they got closer, a hint of surprise appeared on Chu Feng's face.

"What's so special about this place?" Shao Hua asked casually.

Her attire had changed from trousers and a T-shirt to outdoor gear—a windbreaker, cargo pants, her long hair tied up high, and even her shoes were now thick-soled boots—making her look like a dashing jungle hunter.

Chu Feng's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected that Sister Guang would change her style. As expected, beautiful people look good in anything. And this was the only ability he had ever seen that resembled a celestial magic.

The superhumans possess all sorts of strange and wonderful abilities, but none of them can change outfits with a single click.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "White Snake Ridge is a mysterious area in the Taihang Mountains. Legend has it that there is a white snake here that has become powerful and has lived for countless years. Some old people say they have seen it and that it is at least a hundred meters long!"

Chu Feng had seen creatures hundreds of meters long before; the Black Divine Ape whose skull had been blown off was one example, and now its fur was being worn on his body.

But the Black Ape is a ferocious beast from the ancient mountains, and the legend of the White Snake has been passed down for hundreds or thousands of years. How could a native creature live so long and grow so big?

He doesn't believe it, or at least not very much so now.

"Then do you believe that the White Snake really exists?" Shao Hua gazed at the distant mountains, blinked, and as her perspective shifted, a demonic aura, invisible to ordinary people, came into view, lurking in the mountains, the largest of which meandered like a long snake.

"Of course... uh, surely there isn't really one?" Chu Feng almost blurted out, then his expression hardened. Some questions, once asked, already reveal the answer.

He didn't think Shaohua would make such a claim without reason. Since she asked, it was highly likely that the legendary white snake really existed.

"A thousand-year-old snake, how did it survive? If it really exists, why are so many strange people going into the mountains?" Chu Feng thought about it with great fear, feeling that there was a great terror in the deep mountains.

Are humans vying for the exotic fruit, or are beasts hunting humans?
"Don't panic, I'm here," Shaohua said, waving her hand.

"That's right, it's just a mere white snake. With the Queen Mother of the West here and the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden here, how dare this little snake demon be so presumptuous?!" Upon hearing this, Chu Feng felt reassured.

"Moo!" the yellow ox bellowed. There was a strange person guarding the mountain pass ahead, and it was someone they knew.

Zuo Jun is the guy who broke into a private residence and was the first one Shao Hua 'touched'. He is also an employee of Tian Shen Biotechnology.

"It seems that the strange tree is right here!" Chu Feng concluded.

White Snake Ridge was heavily guarded, with supernatural beings stationed along the only access routes. Some people, thinking themselves clever, tried to climb the cliffs to get in, only to be blasted into pieces by rocket launchers.

But how could such a vast mountain range be completely blocked off? There are no roads in the mountains, so if you're willing, you can always find a way to sneak in.

Shaohua found this infiltration very interesting, and she moved nimbly through the jungle while crouching low.

In this mountain range, there is an open area with gentle slopes and sparse ancient trees. Among a few old ginkgo trees, there is a small pine tree that is only a little over a meter tall. It has a shimmering luster and you can feel its vigorous vitality from a distance.

A pine cone, or pine cone, grows on the tree; it is the exotic fruit that many people dream of.

The pine cone was mostly purplish-gold, resembling some kind of metal, while a small portion remained tender green, making it appear somewhat ordinary.

"It's not ripe yet, what a pity," Shaohua murmured softly.

If it's ripe, she wouldn't mind taking it directly; no one can stop her.

"It looks like it'll be over in the next few days. Shall we go dig some soil first?" Compared to the fruit, Chu Feng was more interested in the exotic soil under the tree.

The scalper had already told him that evolution through pollen was the best approach, rather than through fruit.

Without special methods, using exotic fruits to improve one's cultivation level may have drawbacks in the later stages, and in the long run, it will be harmful rather than beneficial.

However, the ox itself looked at the pine tree with great eagerness, as if it wanted to eat the tree along with it, returning to its bovine nature.

It has special organs inside its body that can purify the exotic fruits it absorbs, refine the mottled energy impurities, and temper the body's great medicine. Therefore, it can eat exotic fruits at will without worrying about future hidden dangers.

"Could we dig it up, roots and all, and transplant it somewhere else?"

Chu Feng was still unwilling to give up. He never thought he would gain nothing, but he also felt that there were too many people coveting this place. What if someone else snatched some of it away? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

"If you transplant the seedlings before they are fully ripe, the fruit will rot."

The ox wrote these words on the ground, then, as if remembering something, erased them and wrote again: "Perhaps that willow tree can."

Before finishing the sentence, it crossed it out and shook its head.

The willow tree is mysterious, but whether it can actually protect the exotic fruit remains to be seen.

"Don't worry, with me here, nothing will go wrong!" Shao Hua smiled confidently and gave his assurance.

I've been feeling a bit down lately, so I'd like to come here to vent and relax, maybe have a few "touch and rub" moments, and maybe open a few lids while I'm at it.

Oh, and one more thing, she doesn't eat pine nuts!
(End of this chapter)