The Sacred Ruins

Chapter 221: Great Business

Translator: Alsey Editor: Chrissy

Lu Shiyun’s smile was sweet and full of youth and vigor.

Although Lin Naoi was also smiling, her temperament was comparable to a snow lotus blooming on top of an icy mountain. Her cool elegance gave one the feeling that she was unapproachable.

These were the differences in temperament between the two ladies, but nonetheless, they were able to get along quite well as they chatted over breakfast. One of them was energetic and full of life, while the other was an astonishing beauty; the contrast caused many heads to turn within the dining hall. Even the ladies cast gazes of envy.

"You’re such a womanizer!" White Tiger, who sat across Chu Feng, admonished in a low voice.

"I’ve already explained, brother-in-law. Please don’t misunderstand." Chu Feng fearlessly addressed him like so. Since the White Tiger had already misunderstood, he found it amusing to just play along and go all out.

White Tiger was furious after hearing Chu Feng’s words.

Without a doubt, White Tiger wanted to beat Chu Feng up but he was not the latter’s match in terms of martial prowess. If he really did charge in blindly, it was more likely than not that he would be beaten up badly instead.

"What a beautiful bracelet." Lin Naoi praised. She shot a quick glance at Chu Feng, slightly surprised after seeing the sparkling bracelet on Lu Shiyun’s wrist.

She had immediately recognized the dragon horn bracelet because there was one just like that on her fair wrist. She had received it from Chu Feng the night before.

Lu Shiyun was like a proud white crane as she raised her snow-white chin and laughed. "I successfully extorted this one."

Wang Jing had also gifted her one, but she didn’t dare accept in the end and tasked Lu Tong to return it. Otherwise, it would really confirm a relationship between Chu Feng and her.

She felt herself to be still too young and active to be tied down. It felt terrible for her to even imagine being a daughter-in-law.

It was as if a glacier had melted down as Lin Naoi laughed gently. Lu Shiyun couldn’t help but feel that the Lin Naoi at the moment was exceptionally resplendent and enchanting.

"Naoi, you’re perfect in every aspect, but you’re simply too cold. I bet many men would love to try and conquer this glacial mountain, hoping to instill life and passion. But, they inevitably suffer from frostbite in the end. Sigh..." Lu Shiyun teased.

"Please stop teasing me. Speaking of which, is it true that you have a phobia of skewers?" Lin Naoi poked fun at her with a smile, delivering quite a blow.

Lu Shiyun’s eyes immediately turned large and round. She was seething as she turned to look towards the roasted delicacies on the buffet table.

"That’s not fair!"

...

Mount Longhu, with its characteristic red conglomerate and sandstone earth, was the cradle of Taoism.

Digging through the surface, one could observe the dark red conglomerate which made up the mountain foundations. There were many legends regarding this.

It has been said that this red earth was formed by the contamination of ancient and powerful blood, which was also the reason why this land was shrouded in a spiritual and mysterious aura.

As the ancestral court of Taoism, this place was the most important and coveted secret land. All major powers had been trying to claim this place but to no avail.

Chu Feng and party arrived. They arrived, via flight, at a large city in the vicinity. They then transferred to a car and finally arrived at a certain village at the base of the fabled mountain.

Even the base of the mountain and the five-kilometer area surrounding it had been turned on its head due to the chaotic spatial folds.

"Little fellows, are you lot also of the beast race? You sure don’t look like it. But let me warn you not to go and risk your lives out there. Countless groups have come to this place, but all of them could only return in despair, dragging the dead and the wounded."

This old man told Chu Feng that Mount Longhu was truly too violent a place. It was incomparably difficult to approach. All who charge in had died without exception.

He also added cautiously in a whisper that if demons and spirits wanted to climb the mountain, they would experience something even worse than death. There were often corpses of large hill-sized beings strewn across the base of the mountain.

Chu Feng realized those were beast kings.

The majority of the townspeople had already fled in fear of the various monsters who often came requesting lodging. This place seemed to be the gathering place for all evil.

Only a few remained, and most of them were old people.

That was because the elderly believed Mount Longhu to be a sacred land and that it would kill the demons and protect the people.

They actually knew the theory of evolution, but they were more inclined to put their faith in traditional beliefs. They firmly believed that the ancestral court of Taoism would suppress myriad beasts and monsters.

Chu Feng didn’t act recklessly. He was waiting for the reinforcements to arrive, among which were two of the current world’s most powerful experts. The Siberian Tiger had yet to show up.

They were prepared to first survey the lay of the land. They needed to know more about the actual situation at Mount Longhu.

The few of them stayed the night in town to replenish their strength.

At sunrise the following day, the group of people set off once more towards the outskirts of the mountain. They didn’t have to attack right away—they just wanted to familiarize themselves with the local situation.

The morning light washed over Mount Longhu covering the whole mountain in a light golden radiance. It appeared incomparably divine from a distance, comparable to the emergence of a supreme divine mountain.

They felt a special type of fluctuation, increasing in intensity as they approached the mountain.

It was as if this brilliant mountain itself was breathing. It was respiring the sunlight and taking in the energies of the red sun. This increased its divinity, suffusing it with a mysterious energy.

"What a good place!" Yellow Ox sighed.

Even from such a distance, one could appreciate the exceptional qualities of this place. Yellow Ox’s beautiful little face was full of surprise and delight.

He became more astonished the more he looked on. He suspected the presence of a certain breathing technique seal. How else could a mountain be respiring the morning mist.

Mount Longhu with its steep cliffs and tall ancient trees appeared simple but majestic.

It goes without saying that the mountain at the moment was incomparable to the glory days of old, but nonetheless, it was boundlessly majestic and full of vigor as if it was propping up the firmament above.

As they advanced further Chu Feng, Lin Naoi, White Tiger, and Lu Shiyun all felt extremely warm, comfortable and at ease. The black yak, however, revealed a change in expression. Yellow Ox also appeared extremely cautious.

"Beast race suppression!"

Finally, Yellow Ox gritted his teeth and muttered a few words. He had never considered himself part of a different race. According to him, he was of the orthodox race.

But now, he had spoken such words. His beautiful face was now looking quite ugly as if he had sensed something.

"What happened? My heart is beating wildly. It feels quite uncomfortable here." The black yak was feeling chills all over his body.

"There are traces of ancient magic here directed against non-human races," explained Yellow Ox with great dissatisfaction. This was blatant discrimination.

He was a young and prideful warrior. As someone who able to cross the forbidden path as the first pioneer to arrive in this world, he had his own pride.

"A single path up the famed mountain. Mount Longhu’s recognition of man contains both love and hate," Yellow Ox muttered.

Chu Feng was astonished as he recalled the many historical facts and legends regarding this place. The ancestral court of Taoism had always been overseen by a heavenly master who seldom left the place.

Those heavenly masters of legend were exorcists of great renown who specialized in killing monsters and demons.

Perhaps those legends were not necessarily made up? There seems to be some remnant energy directed against the beast race.

Strands of auspicious purple clouds came floating from the red sun and disappeared into Mount Longhu, adding to its majesty and radiance. It was akin to a portal connecting to a mythological world.

Purple clouds from the east?

Chu Feng had witnessed this scene before back at the Pilgrimage Grounds and Mount Kunlun. The mountain itself attracted auspicious purple clouds which were a source of astonishing energy, highly beneficial to one’s evolution.

"Aou..."

The howl of a dragon was transmitted from afar. The thunderous roar portrayed anger and unwillingness. It shook the whole mountain range, causing everyone’s expression to change.

The black yak was shocked. He knew he wasn’t nearly as powerful—one was able to sense its frightening aura, even without coming into contact— its strength was far above the former.

"Did a ruthless expert arrive here and has begun his assault?" Chu Feng was surprised.

The source of the howl came from the back of the mountain. It sounded as if a powerful expert had been wounded and was howling in rage.

"The suppression upon us beast race members is simply too great. The fierce person just now should be a beast king," Yellow Ox commented.

They circled Mount Longhu, passing through the woods at a quick pace before selecting a peak with a good view to observe the situation at the back mountain.

The area was enshrouded in mists and red clouds, seemingly an extraordinary place. Dragon roars could be heard ever so often. It was a frightening spectacle.

Boom!

The mountain and the earth itself began to shake. A terrifying expert seemed to be making a move. It was almost as if he was trapped and was trying to break out.

"Aou..."

Afterwards, a huge black serpent was seen flying up to the summit. The scene sent White Tiger and Lu Shiyun into a daze. This was their first time witnessing a peerless expert.

"A single horned black serpent!" The black yak’s eyes had gone round.

A single prominent horn was upon its head and its whole body was stained with blood. There were even some lacerations in certain parts of its body. God knows what kind of misfortune it had faced at Mt. Longhu.

It crossed a couple thousand meters in an instant before landing briefly on a normal mountain. It used the momentum to fly out once again and fled into the distance.

"An expert with six severed shackles!" Lin Naoi frowned.

Shock was written all across Lu Shiyun’s delicate face. Her little lips were open wide in astonishment. A gigantic serpent had just flown past them.

Its huge serpentine body would occasionally brush past the rocky cliffs during its escape, causing them to shatter and collapse.

That black snake was extremely terrifying!

"Does this count as a flood dragon?" Chu Feng asked Yellow Ox.

Yellow Ox replied, "Technically, it’s no longer just a snake since it was born with a single horn. But it probably can’t be termed a flood dragon just yet. I guess it’s more appropriate to call it a... flood serpent."

"The Black Dragon Prince of the Southern Sea!" Lin Naoi exclaimed.

"What? Naoi, you know its origins?" Chu Feng asked in surprise, but then he remembered the power of Deity Biomedicals as a corporation. It was natural for them to be proficient with information gathering.

Before long, Lin Naoi had told him that the major corporations had formed a coalition to find the Fusang Tree. However, the plan was ultimately scrapped because the beings in the ocean were simply too powerful. Moreover, they were numerous; experts in the ocean were as plenty as the trees in the woods.

Although they didn’t venture into the sea, Deity Biomedical had already done their homework.

Among the marine races, there was a certain Black Dragon Prince from the Southern Sea, who had announced that he would soon invade the mainland and conquer places like the Thunderous Temple which was the Buddhist ancestral land and Mount Longhu, the ancestral court of Taoism.

Many people gasped in fright after hearing such a claim. It seemed the marine race had indeed begun to move towards the mainland and was prepared to fight for the famed mountains and great rivers.

They noticed a calamity was nigh. Great battles were imminent!

After a long while, the black dragon sighed. "The Black Dragon Prince of the Southern Sea is an expert with six severed shackles. Even he had almost been cut in two and barely escaped with his life. The back mountain of Mount Longhu is simply too terrifying."

"It’s obvious that he had been trapped there for at least a night. He was fortunate to be able to escape just now." Yellow Ox judged the situation.

And that was just the back mountain and not the main road to Mount Longhu.

The group began to frown. They felt a huge headache—no wonder Mount Longhu was never conquered—it was a terrifying place with difficulties in every direction.

"Ah, Naoi, you’re also here? This must be fate."

A well-mannered and dazzling youth encompassed by prismatic radiance appeared. He flew across the rocks and trees, floating over as if he could walk upon the void like a god.

He looked at Lin Naoi with passionate eyes before giving the two oxen and Chu Feng a cursory glance. Disdain flashed through his eyes.