The Sacred Ruins
chapter-255

The four bronze pillars formed a parameter of roughly two kilometers.

The numerous beasts Chu Feng had brought in were roaring and wildly running around. They were running in circles, their fur stood on end and terror was in their eyes.

The birds were also acting rather strangely. They failed to spread their wings and fly away, but instead were soaring above the area, flapping their wings with increasing frequency. But no matter how many laps they flew around the place, they couldn’t escape it.

Chu Feng’s eyes went wide with a surprised expression on his face. Such an eerie scene was playing out before his eyes in broad daylight. It was just like the ghostly labyrinth [1] from folklore.

"How sinister… how odd!"

Chu Feng muttered to himself as he bit into yet another piece of roasted snake meat. He continued to observe as he ate.

This was likely the ability of these four pillars. How odd was it for four metallic pillars to make even beasts and birds lose their way?

Chu Feng looked up; the blue sky was clear and bright while the sun was burning brightly in the sky. It wasn’t a misty night, so why do these animals keep losing their way?

He was momentarily puzzled; the whole scene felt quite evil.

This area was definitely not like this before. Everything was due to the four pillars erected by the sea generals.

Chu Feng was now certain of the existence of the ghostly labyrinth.

This kind of thing usually happened late at night and most often near cemeteries or remote areas. The victim’s senses would be obscured and subsequently lose direction, causing them to walk in circles.

Those who had experienced such things claim that their consciousness became hazy and might even have been in a daze. They felt themselves being led in a certain direction and would soon leave the place, but in the end, they couldn’t escape the cycle.

It would naturally frighten the victim if such a thing happened at night near the cemetery and they would soon fall ill. From then on, they would become increasingly superstitious and frightened.

Chu Feng knew that ghostly labyrinths could be explained scientifically. Research showed that the instinctual movement of all animals was circular and thus bringing about this phenomenon.

There was a research involving blindfolded falcons, sparrows, and pigeons which showed that the birds flew in circular motions within a limited area.

Humans and other animals also worked on a similar principle. Once they lost their sense of direction, most tend to go in circles despite believing that they were walking straight.

That was because life forms were not perfectly even—some had wings of uneven sizes, and some had legs of uneven length. Once their sense of direction was lost, the differences in length and stride would accumulate and cause the circular motion. [2]

Chu Feng understood the principles behind the ghostly labyrinth but he knew not how the four bronze pillars were able to emulate it.

Furthermore, he found that the instance of the ghostly labyrinth was particularly severe within the specialized area. The terrified wild beasts and birds were running in circles as if they had gone mad and couldn’t stop at all.

This was the killing weapon that the southern sea dragon race had delivered for Hei Teng. Chu Feng was speechless and astonished.

After all was said and done, this was still a ghostly labyrinth and wouldn’t really count as anything overly sensational. He had thought it was some type of astonishing domain.

He was expecting the four pillars to bring forth torrential storms, interweaving lightning strikes or storms of sword intent, tearing apart the person within.

In the end, it appeared not to be the case.

"Hei Teng, you bastard, is this your great killing weapon?! Get up and start running a few circles!" Chu Feng cursed, picking up a rock thousands of kilograms in weight and smashed it towards Hei Teng.

With a thump, the rock crashed into his body, eliciting a grunt and gushes of blood.

"Go run around!" After thus shouting at Hei Teng, Chu Feng was enlightened.

Although the domain wasn’t especially tyrannical in power, it was indeed extraordinary because others from the outside could easily strike those inside.

The rock he had tossed into the area didn’t change direction and landed squarely on Hei Teng’s body.

Following that, he flicked out a rock which, with a loud thump, shot through a sparrowhawk. The bird fell to the ground with a broken wing.

The sparrowhawk let out a shrill cry and had become increasingly startled. It frantically flapped its wings, trying to resume its circular flight.

Chu Feng was flabbergasted. He didn’t want to take the birds life and thus only broke its wing but this caused him to fall into deeper panic.

He noticed that the area should have more factors at play than just a ghostly labyrinth, something causing their disorientation and terror.

"Their spirits are chaotic and suppressed, causing various forms of misjudgments and disorientation." Chu Feng observed in detail and began to understand more.

He felt that the four pillars were indeed extraordinary to be able to cause such a peculiar scene after being planted in this region.

"Well, it can barely be called a great killing weapon." Chu Feng understood that killing enemies would be as easy as reaping grass if he could draw them into this domain and attack with his flying knife from the side.

"That’s not a bad idea; I like these pillars. Hei Teng, you’re such a nice person. Thanks for gifting me these presents, and since you insist, I’ll accept them with pleasure!" Chu Feng laughed loudly.

"Oh?" He was astonished to find no response from Hei Teng. He should normally be fuming with anger after hearing such words.

"Did it affect his hearing? Could it be that the domain seals all the five senses? That would be truly terrifying!" Chu Feng felt a chill down his spine.

He tried roaring at a certain beast. His thunderous voice shook everything in its trajectory, but the oblivious spotted leopard kept on running without the slightest change.

"It is indeed so." Chu Feng clenched his teeth. It was indeed not simple.

Afterwards, he went to capture even more wild beasts and put them all in for further experimentation.

He wanted to see if these beasts would react differently according to the time they were inside the domain. He was doing quite the thorough research.

He would release some beasts into the domain at certain intervals.

"Hei Teng are you looking to die?! Run!" Chu Feng tossed another giant rock at him and wounded him even further, but the man remained motionless just as before.

During the whole process, Chu Feng kept munching on the golden roasted flood serpent meat. He feasted happily on the sparkling and succulent meat which replenished his energy.

He was indeed hungry after the long battle.

"Flood serpent gall!" Chu Feng dug out a head-sized gallbladder. He felt somewhat dizzy after seeing the huge organ. It was translucent and glistening with a clear fragrance.

But Chu Feng knew this thing would be unbearably bitter.

He didn’t dare try it out since it was sure to be disgusting. But he knew this was a rare medicinal ingredient and that he might be able to use it in the future. This was, after all, a flood dragon gall.

Chu Feng carefully dried the gall with the heat from the flames. Then he retrieved the black horn and washed it clean before stowing them all away inside the pristine jade bottle.

He was enjoying the leisurely observation and would even practice his Xingyi Fists from time to time for further consolidation. This battle with Hei Teng had brought about huge benefits to his training.

He not only obtained the suet jade bottle and the four bronze pillars, but his Xingyi Fist had also advanced to the next level.

After staying there for a whole day and night, he had used up a good portion of the flood serpent meat. He ate not only for meals, but also to refine them into a baptism of energy.

All the while, he was circulating his breathing technique. All his pores were glowing as the dense energy within the flood serpent meat surged throughout his body, bringing his internal essence to its peak and even seeping out through his pores.

"Eh? This bottle is quite mysterious!"

Chu Feng had placed a few pieces of washed serpent meat within the bottle for observation and found that the results were just as he had imagined.

The space within the bottle was able to preserve the freshness of the food. The pieces of meat were still translucent and sparkling as if it was freshly cut. There were no changes at all.

"Haha, what a treasure!"

If anyone else knew why he was so happy, they would surely be dumbfounded because the reason was solely related to food. He was thinking about how he need not waste the large amounts of leftover meat after killing king level entities.

After a day and night of observation, Chu Feng gradually understood more of the bronze pillars’ properties. They were able to form a more powerful version of the ghostly labyrinth and seal off the victim's senses.

In summary, it was able to distort the victim's judgment and throw their consciousness into turmoil.

"Could it be that these four bronze pillars are capable of changing geomagnetic properties?

Some of the beasts had already collapsed on the ground and lost consciousness, but otherwise, they couldn’t stop running.

He felt it would be better to further experiment when he had actual enemies to fight.

Hei Teng had already reverted to his true form; a black snake with metallic scales staring at Chu Feng in deep hatred and resentment.

He knew he couldn’t escape.

Chu Feng didn’t hesitate to bring out this flying knife and cut off the giant flood serpent head, giving him absolutely no chance at survival.

"Time to collect my due."

Chu Feng collected the four pillars and washed them clean before putting them into the pristine jade bottle.

He then collected the flood serpent meat and began to clean them. The upper part of the snake was still quite fresh. Soon, large chunks of translucent and sparkling meat were stowed away in the bottle.

The Black Dragon Crown Prince’s fate was lamentable—such a magnificent expert with six severed shackles who could look down on all the other kings was killed just like that.

His extraordinary ancient device, the Dragon Locking Pillars, had immediately changed hands. Even more mysterious was the spatial bottle and that, too, had landed in Chu Feng’s lap.

Chu Feng knew he couldn’t hide the news of the death of such a large snake—the remains were bound to be discovered. He had to be prepared to come into the light and battle the numerous kings.

Chu Feng didn’t leave immediately and continued to practice his Xingyi Fists. He needed to raise his strength even further!

Because he found that this fist technique suited him greatly. The twelve true forms had almost merged into his bones and he found himself increasingly proficient with the technique.

This human technique truly resonated with him.

More Importantly, he had already mastered the breathing technique hidden within the Twelve Xingyi True Forms and this gave him an extra period of cultivation every day.

Chu Feng felt it might be possible to evolve using Yellow Ox’s peerless breathing technique, Thunderous Breathing Technique, and Xingyi Breathing Technique to break through continuously even without the help of divine pollen until he reached comprehensive transformation.

Chu Feng was in no rush to leave Mount Sanqing and continued to practice and consolidate his Twelve True Forms, all the while circulating his three breathing techniques in turn. He felt his blood energy growing increasingly majestic.

The flood serpent meat had afforded him high energy nutrients while the wild fruits served as his vegetables.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Facing the burning sun, Chu Feng’s body was sparkling and translucent as he extended his arms in front of the waterfall and employed his fist seals. With resounding thunder, the dragon, tiger, crane, bear, and falcon appeared around him at the same time. They were all formed from energy and emanated a terrifying aura as they flew outward.

Boom!

The waterfall flowed backward and rocks thousands of kilograms in weight began to float upwards and resonate with the rhythm of his fist before exploding.

At this time, many people already knew that the southern sea dragon race had delivered a great killing weapon for Hei Teng, seemingly to kill Chu Feng but was actually to intimidate the experts from the continent.

Soon, everyone was discussing this matter in alarm. Could this mean a large scale invasion?

Obviously, the humans were quite frightened of the marine race after this announcement. This allowed the latter much more convenience, but at the same time, they became increasingly flamboyant and tyrannical.

Only the two oxen were sneering in secret because they already knew that Chu Feng had killed Hei Teng earlier that dawn. They were both shaken and excited.

At this moment, the outside world believed it was time for Hei Teng to make his rise and intimidate everyone. Little did they know that this expert from the southern sea dragon race had already become Chu Feng’s meal.

Thus, the two oxen were laughing in great delight. They were waiting for the explosive news from Mount Sanqing to stun all these experts.

The main culprit, Chu Feng, however, was still practicing his fist technique, nourishing his body and accumulating strength. This battle with Hei Teng had deepened his understanding of the Twelve Xingyi True Forms. It was a great harvest for him.

He was ready to immediately erupt at a moment’s notice and began killing the numerous kings!

"Chu Feng where have you gone? Are you really dead?"

"Hei Teng has already recovered from his wounds and received a great killer weapon from the southern sea. His strength will surely have increased by a great deal. Even if Chu Feng is alive, he might not be a match."

"The two were originally of different levels. One was a top grade expert with six severed shackles while the other, only four. Their last battle had ended in a draw because Hei Teng had suffered serious wounds. It would be difficult for Chu Feng to triumph if they fought again this time."

…

In the outside world, experts of every race were in heated discussion.

Even those who favored Chu Feng secretly couldn’t help but admit that Chu Feng would be at a disadvantage should the two clash.

Those who were antagonistic towards Chu Feng were all rejoicing in his misfortune. They felt that Chu Feng would be killed immediately even if he returned alive.

Even Lu Tong found it difficult to sit still and contacted Chu Feng while he was practicing his fist technique.

"Little brat, just come back if you can’t handle it. It’s not that easy to fight against an expert with six severed shackles."

"Don’t worry, I’ve already eaten Hei Teng. He was absolutely no threat at all," Chu Feng informed him.

"What? What did you say again?!" Lu Tong was so shocked that he almost jumped off his seat. Astonishment was painted all over his face.

He asked again and again about what had happened and how it had happened.

"I dealt with him yesterday but I kept him trapped all night and only killed him this morning," Chu Feng casually replied.

Lu Tong was badly shaken and couldn’t reply immediately. That was the Black Dragon Crown Prince of the southern sea! Rumor has it that he had obtained a great killing weapon to suppress all the kings. But he had been killed by Chu Feng in the end?

This news would surely cause a huge tempest when released. It would surely shake everyone around the country!

"Oh right, what was that great killing weapon? Where is it?" Lu Tong asked.

"What great killer weapon? Baseless rumors!" Chu Feng flatly denied, afraid that the old man would demand that he bring it back for study.

Lu Tong refused to believe it but he couldn’t do anything. Finally, he told him a piece of news. Someone had sneaked into the Hollow Jade Temple’s residential area to make a move against his parents.

Chu Feng wasn’t worried because Lu Tong had long since informed him that his parents had been moved away to safety.

"According to investigations, possibly one of the beast kings who had attacked you that night was behind this attack," Lu Tong informed.

"They’re tired of living!" Chu Feng coldly spoke.

"Don’t tell me you’re going to kill them?" Lu Tong asked.

Chu Feng was rather calm. "Do I even need to move personally against such petty characters? Didn’t you say that no one would dare target our majestic Hollow Jade Temple? Immediately utilize the resources at your disposal to launch a counter-attack. Use missiles and laser weapons to blow their mountain headquarters apart. Don’t leave even a blade of grass alive! You’ve got to establish your might—anyone who dares to sneak into the Hollow Jade Temple must be made an example of so that everyone will be intimidated."

Lu Tong choked, "I thought you would immediately hop about madly and charge into their midst."

"What? Are you still thinking about making me go? I only kill experts with six severed shackles now. Don’t bother me with those small characters!" Chu Feng showed off smugly.

Lu Tong was grinding his teeth in anger and wanted to smack the brat right away.

"Um, it's fine if you’re not jumping about madly. I was afraid you’d lose your calm and fall into the enemy’s trap," said Lu Tong.

"Old man, don’t hesitate to mobilize your resources and large-scale killing weapons to flatten that mountain. I’ll be there to watch the fireworks and help you clean up the stragglers," Chu Feng replied with raging killing intent.

…

[1] Ghostly Labyrinth - is actually a word I named for this particular point in the story. The original term meant "Ghost Hits the Wall" which doesn't make sense in english. It's used to describe an incident where the victim loses his sense of direction and seemingly becomes trapped in the mist near cemeteries and scary places.

[2] The link to the research paper describing this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4233737/