The Sacred Ruins

Chu Feng was moved. He wanted to climb the altar but he knew things weren’t that simple. The suppressive might of this place was simply too great. Even evolved beings at their level would feel a type of oppressive and stifling sensation after getting closer.

The sacrificial altar was enormous. It was like an ancient city towering over the area in front of them. The offerings on the jade table atop the sacrificial altar were emitting bright radiant lights.

At this moment, someone let out a growl, rashly approached the altar, and charged up the stone steps. As a result, he was suppressed to the point where blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth and his whole body was trembling.

Thump!

The man tumbled back down in the end, pale and delirious.

The eyes of all the experts here were glowing red. Who wouldn’t be moved by the things on the altar?

"Let me try!"

Another person went up in large strides in hopes of climbing up the altar.

Even the Qianjia, the old monk from Bodhi Biogenetics, felt somewhat moved.

Even this 100-year-old monk felt this way, not to mention the others.

The allure was simply too great!

What were those things? Golden seals, the Nine Cauldrons, vermillion fruits... all of them were too astonishing.

For instance, those lustrously red immortal peaches. They were still flowing with a red light on its plate despite the passage of countless years. Even the old Taoist was drooling.

Such items were treasures for evolved beings.

It was rumored that during ancient times before earth’s complete decline, evolved beings would hold a feast of peaches at certain intervals to enjoy this rare treasure of the heaven and earth.

Some such fruits bloomed once a year, some every dozen, and some every hundred years. There were even those that bloomed only once every 3000 years.

Naturally, the mother tree of these legends had long since withered. Perhaps it was only during earth’s most prosperous era and when it was ranked 11th in the cosmos that the tree was full of fruit and vitality.

"Those are peaches of immortality. Only the ancient continental gods and immortals were able to enjoy this thing. The fruit appears in many folktales related to the Queen Mother of the West." Someone sighed with fire burning in his eyes.

They could do nothing except look from afar since they couldn’t climb up the altar.

"Brother Chu, do you have a method? You’re the strongest domain researcher on earth. Only you can lead us up there."

Someone asked while glancing hopefully at Chu Feng.

Chu Feng shook his head and explained patiently, "I really have no way. This place isn’t just a matter of domains. The most important part is the aura of the mountains and rivers. Those ancient forebears who offered sacrifices to the gods produced a certain aura here that would suppress all experts."

He told everyone that, strictly speaking, there weren’t any lethal domains here and anyone could climb up the altar and enjoy the offerings.

It was just that the aura of the heaven and earth was too terrifying. The highest point on the altar was a place closest to the gods. It possessed a certain solemnity and pressure.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"

Some people began to move at this time. It wasn’t that they trusted Chu Feng’s words but because they were ordered to do so. They had no choice but to probe the area.

No small number of people from the major corporations and top powers were here, each with more than just one king level expert in their midst. Some of them were given the task of probing ahead.

Unfortunately, these people were obstructed after approaching the altar. They felt as if they were carrying a mountain on their backs as they ascended the stairs. Their postures were bent and their heads were drenched in sweat.

In the end, all of them let out muffled groans and staggered back. Some of them coughed up blood while others tumbled down like gourds.

There was something Chu Feng didn’t explain clearly. This so-called "pressure" could be regarded as not being a domain, but it could also be viewed as one. It certainly wasn’t produced by carving runes on magnetic stones.

This type of pressure was formed by directly drawing upon the power of the mountains and rivers, condensing qi from the leylines and famed mountains while communicating between the heaven and earth to produce a complex domain energy.

Such a thing could be broken through but would require a domain grandmaster to take action. It could also be left intact. One would only need to forcefully resist this "pressure" and ascend the altar.

It was uniform and without change. There was neither lightning, wind nor flames, only an all-around suppression upon any approaching entity.

"Brother Chu, do you really have no other methods?" some corporate agents asked. They weren’t quite resigned to this fate. Their eyes were on those offerings—the items were close by yet unobtainable.

Chu Feng shook his head. "I’m incapable. I’m certain I can’t move that altar for the time being."

"Everyone should think of their own way. What he said is correct. This place is all about personal strength. Whether or not someone obtains these fortunes will depend on one’s own fate," said the old Taoist.

"Move aside!"

It was at this time that the half-burnt old lady suddenly made her move. She broke off from her support, rose into the air and shot towards the altar’s stone steps.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh...

Her movements were extremely fast. She wasn’t actually flying but was instead using her hands to lift off from the ground.

Even she could no longer sit still in the face of the offerings on the altar. She wanted to take the risk and make a move.

That was because she saw the human-shaped fruit within its jade plate on the altar. It was lustrously white and extremely similar to the ginseng fruit. She was excited because that was a heaven-defying item!

She felt that she could regenerate the lost part of her body if she ate this fruit. She felt her strength would increase by leaps and bounds, allowing her to evolve continuously.

The old woman’s strength was extraordinary. No one had expected that, even with her crippled body, she would be able to climb so rapidly as if she was on level ground.

"Chi!"

At the most critical moment, her palms released an intense glow and shot out a mysterious object. It was a small jade ladder the size of a palm.

The small ladder glowed with intense runes as it extended along the altar’s stone steps. It seemed as if a road was being paved for her. This was quite strange.

"What is that?!"

Everyone was stunned. The old woman ascended along the light emitted from the jade ladder and flew up rapidly. Was she actually about to succeed?

Everyone’s eyes turned red.

"The Sky Ladder!" the old Taoist cried out.

Chu Feng was moved. He had learned from the stone carvings at the bottom of the ocean that certain domain masters could produce such items, allowing one to travel as if on level ground by harnessing the power of famed mountains and geography.

Domain researchers who had reached such a level were extremely terrifying.

"Something’s wrong. This is only a low-level prototype," the old Taoist muttered.

It was obvious that the old woman was staking it all. She wanted to use such an item, combined with her astonishing strength, to charge up the mountain.

Chu Feng frowned. The old woman definitely didn’t have this item on her back at Mount Zhijin. Otherwise, she probably wouldn’t be so miserable.

He was secretly observing whether the old woman could cross over the recent domains he laid down.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, the jade ladder in the old woman’s hand cracked and fissured. The old woman let out a muffled groan as the radiance emitted from the item dispersed. Afterwards, she fell down from the altar.

It was as if a tremendous energy had smashed down upon her body. It suppressed her as she fell all the way and collapsed at the base of the altar.

The item in her hand was destroyed but she still couldn’t cross onto the altar.

Chu Feng nodded in secret. He now knew what was going on—this so-called Sky Ladder was only a crude amateur product. He could easily block it after studying and laying down a couple of domains.

"It’s this poor Taoist’s turn!" The old Taoist let out a faint smile, strode forward and scuttled up the stairs with a swoosh.

He ran swiftly with his own ability and only produced some items when the grand suppression fell upon him.

It was a small, meter-long arched stone bridge which he produced from within his sleeves. Brilliance spread out with a swoosh as the stone bridge erupted with runes, forming a bridge-like path to carry him forward.

Chu Feng was dumbfounded. This was also the work of a domain researcher. It was carved with spirit jade and magnetic crystals as material. Its name was the World-Crossing Bridge.

Its uses weren’t different too from the Sky Ladder!

Unfortunately, the legendary item was too difficult to produce. Once successful, it would be treated as a rare treasure by every sect.

Both the old woman’s Sky Ladder and the old Taoist’s World-Crossing Bridge were quite superficial. They were many serious defects and the quality was too far off from the successful product.

"Outer realm beings have no shortage of treasures prepared for use against the famed mountains and great rivers." Some people were astonished.

"Grandpa, go go!" The problem lady cheered the old Taoist on from below.

One had to admit that the old Taoist’s methods were indeed excellent and extraordinary. He rushed upwards in one go and almost reached the altar.

In the end, he shook his long sleeve and, accompanied by astral winds, extended a hand towards the offerings on the altar from a distance.

Dong!

One of the nine cauldrons closest to him was stirred up. It let out the sound of vibrating bronze as a grand ripple spread out from it.

The old man’s World-Crossing Bridge cracked with a bang. He let out an odd cry as he rolled down battered and bruised. However, he wasn’t wounded.

Everyone was astonished because their minds began to pound the moment that cauldron rang out. Some king level entities were trembling and almost collapsed on the ground.

"How terrifying!"

Everyone was astonished. This was only one of the Nine Cauldrons and it was already so extraordinary. The sacrificial items were simply too frightening.

"Sigh, if it was back in the day, those offerings on the table will all be mine!" The old Taoist sighed. He was at wit’s end.

Everyone felt indignant. They could only look on helplessly at the divine items on the altar but had no way to get closer.

Some people came to Chu Feng once again and asked him to find a way.

"I’ll try then. You guys help me in a while." Chu Feng stood close to the altar and pondered continuously. He then began to carve runes on magnetic stones.

He definitely wouldn’t take action even if he really could break through the altar’s suppression. There was no reason to lead such a group of mixed characters up the altar. He would do it himself.

Before long, he had the whole group of kings assist him by tossing the carved magnetic stones into the air sequentially, forming domains in mid-air.

He was experimenting carefully and not making a real move.

Boom!

The results were shocking. After the domains took form, they brought about an explosion from the altar as the local "pressure" erupted to press down violently.

Those magnetic stones burst apart in the air and became fine powder.

However, during those explosions, some items atop the altar lost their balance and fell off the jade table.

"Oh my! What a good method. Some items have fallen down. Continue the shaking!"

Everyone was stunned and then overjoyed. The felt they might be able to rock down some offerings.

Chu Feng tried again, asking people to hurl magnetic stones from different directions, immediately forming domains in the air.

As a result, the altar erupted once again and the pressure descended. The domain runes were obliterated and the magnetic stones shattered.

After seeing this, some people picked up large boulders and hurled them into the air. However, it was ineffective. The projectiles were bounced back before they could even get close while the altar remained unmoving.

Only a domain could draw the altar’s pressure and cause the area to rumble.

Chu Feng’s heart was beating fast because, during this process, the restless little grinding stone in his body began to spin madly as if it was calling something down.

He was somewhat regretful now. He felt that he shouldn’t have acted so casually. If he really was able to take down some item from atop the altar under so many eyes, the others would surely covet it.

Boom!

However, it seemed what he feared actually happened. The little grinding stone in his body was too odd. It actually formed an involuntary attractive force which pulled down an item from atop the altar.

It was at this moment that the object fell down!

"That is..." Everyone was stunned.