Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Chapter 2161 The Black Sun Awakens

Jiang Mushan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, and said in a deep voice, "No matter how strong that Danchen Sect disciple is, even if he can kill a resentful demon at the peak of the Tai Cang Realm with one punch, he is ultimately not a true peak Tai Cang Realm cultivator."

"If we could find a senior brother at the peak of the Tai Cang Realm, this matter could be easily resolved."

A peak cultivator of the Tai Cang Realm who has truly immersed themselves in this realm for many years possesses methods, comprehension of the rules, and a profound level of Yuan Power that far surpasses those of later cultivators. If such a powerful figure were truly present, it would indeed be enough to turn the tide of the battle.

Zhu Xingyan and Wu Jianghan exchanged a glance; this seemed like a feasible solution. But then, Zhu Xingyan frowned and said, "But Senior Brother Jiang, it seems that only Senior Brother Chu has reached the peak of the Tai Cang Realm nearby? And Senior Brother Chu…"

Zhu Xingyan didn't finish speaking, but Jiang Mushan and Wu Jianghan both understood what he meant.

Senior Brother Chu, whose full name is Chu Hongliang, has been at the peak of the Tai Cang Realm for many years, and his strength is unfathomable. However, he is arrogant, keeps to himself, and has an enormous appetite.

Ordinary treasures are beneath his notice. Moreover, if he were to make a move, he would undoubtedly take the lion's share of the spoils afterward, and might even monopolize them.

Jiang Mushan frowned. Asking Chu Hongliang to take action could indeed resolve the threat posed by the Danchen Sect disciples.

But what's the cost?

Chu Hongliang was no saint, nor did he value camaraderie among fellow disciples. Asking him for help was tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin. If successful, the vast majority of the spoils would likely fall into Chu Hongliang's hands.

The three of them might only get a little soup, or even nothing at all, having worked for others for nothing and still incurring a debt of gratitude.

The reason Jiang Mushan hadn't mentioned this plan before was because he was unwilling to accept defeat. If Chu Hongliang were brought in, all of this would be irrelevant to him.

Is it a risky gamble, relying on the three of them to compete, possibly encountering Dan Chen Sect disciples again and suffering a crushing defeat? Or is it a safer option, seeking strong reinforcements to ensure suppression of the opponent, but at the cost of forgoing most of the potential gains?

This is a dilemma.

A brief silence fell over the stone chamber. Zhu Xingyan and Wu Jianghan's expressions shifted. They were equally unwilling to hand over the treasure that might be within their grasp, but Chen Fei's terrifying strength was like a mountain, making it hard for them to breathe.

Finally, Jiang Mushan slowly exhaled and said in a deep voice, "Let's not worry about that for now. The most urgent thing is to find a new main hall. I'll try to avoid the disciples of Danchen Sect. We may not actually run into each other in the end."

Instead of immediately deciding whether to ask for help, he chose to investigate first.

Zhu Xingyan and Wu Jianghan exchanged a glance and nodded. Indeed, daydreaming was useless.

In another hall, Chen Fei turned to look at the high platform. The platform, which had just obviously collapsed, had somehow reappeared without him noticing.

However, the spot where the spiritual materials that had been floating above the platform were previously located is now empty.

Chen Fei gazed silently at the empty platform, a subtle glint of thought flickering in his deep eyes. He was sensing, he was deducing.

Cao Feiyu also looked at the high platform and said softly, "It seems that the trial here can only be performed once."

Chen Fei nodded slightly: "Well, either this trial itself is unique, and once triggered and passed, it will never happen again. Or,"

Chen Fei's gaze swept over the ancient runes on the high platform. "When others come here, new spiritual materials of higher rank will be revealed."

Upon hearing this, Cao Feiyu seemed to be deep in thought.

A sixteenth-tier high-grade spiritual material is indeed an immense opportunity. However, the Nine Reincarnations Illusionary Realm directly targets the Dao Heart and is extremely dangerous. If it weren't for Chen Fei's help, Cao Feiyu didn't think she could pass this trial.

"This place has no further value."

Chen Fei took one last look at the empty platform. "We should leave. This ancient celestial court ruins are not limited to just this one strange place."

Cao Feiyu nodded, regaining her composure. The joy of her breakthrough and the sense of security of standing shoulder to shoulder with Chen Fei filled her with confidence for the future. No matter what lay ahead, with Chen Fei by her side, she had nothing to fear.

Chen Fei took Cao Feiyu's hand and walked towards the stone tablet mural. Their footsteps made a soft "rustling" sound as they stepped on the broken stone slabs and dust.

Cao Feiyu felt the warmth and strength coming from her palm. This real touch gradually overlapped with the support and warmth she had felt countless times in desperate situations during her nine reincarnations in the illusion.

Her heart, like the surface of a lake touched by a spring breeze, rippled with gentle waves.

Nine reincarnations, nine different identities and experiences, but what remains unchanged is that Chen Fei is always by her side.

"Junior brother," Cao Feiyu suddenly spoke softly.

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Fei paused slightly, turned around, and met Cao Feiyu's gaze.

When Cao Feiyu saw Chen Fei looking at her, a faint blush appeared on her face, but she did not look away. Instead, she tightened her grip on his hand slightly.

"The trial just now... was all thanks to you. If you hadn't been by my side, I probably would have been lost in that endless cycle of reincarnation long ago, let alone take this opportunity to break through to the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm."

Chen Fei smiled and took Cao Feiyu's cool and soft hand in his palm, saying, "Senior Sister, you flatter me. Nine lifetimes of reincarnation, with illusion and reality intertwined, it is because Senior Sister's Dao heart is firm that we were able to overcome this tribulation."

"Having gone through life and death together nine times, even if it was just an illusion..." Cao Feiyu's voice was very low. She took a small step forward, getting closer to Chen Fei, tilting her head back, and Chen Fei's figure was reflected in her clear eyes.

“My feelings, junior brother… you should understand.”

Cao Feiyu spoke her last sentence very softly, yet it carried a certain courage. For someone as aloof as her to utter these words willingly meant she had cast aside all her pride and reserve.

She didn't want to guess anymore, didn't want to wait anymore, and didn't want this feeling that had grown in the midst of life and death to leave behind regrets because of hesitation and timidity.

Chen Fei remained silent for a moment, simply gazing at her, at this woman who had been entangled with him for nine lifetimes in the illusion and fought alongside him in reality.

Then, a genuine smile slowly bloomed on Chen Fei's face. This smile was not the usual indifferent one, but rather warm, like the warm winter sun, instantly dispelling the last trace of unease in Cao Feiyu's heart.

Chen Fei didn't make any vows of eternal love, nor did he utter any sweet words. He simply held her hand, tightening his grip slightly, and responded with a single, deep, and clear word:

"Ok!"

A single word spoke volumes. In his gentle eyes, Cao Feiyu saw the same appreciation, a response, and an unspoken understanding and commitment.

An indescribable joy and sweetness, like warm spring water, instantly surged through Cao Feiyu's entire body.

Her beautiful cheeks flushed even more, like the most beautiful sunset. She didn't say anything more, but simply rested her head gently on Chen Fei's shoulder, feeling the incredibly reassuring aura emanating from him.

At this moment, no further words are needed.

Chen Fei let her lean against him, and raised his other hand to gently stroke her soft, black hair.

The brief moment of tenderness did not make them forget where they were. Their hearts were in sync; no words were needed. A glance, a smile, was enough.

Chen Fei gently patted Cao Feiyu's shoulder. Cao Feiyu understood and broke free from that rare moment of peace, straightening her body again. However, her hand was still being held by Chen Fei, their fingers intertwined, conveying warmth and strength to each other.

Cao Feiyu's charming blush had not completely faded, but her eyes had regained their clarity and determination. However, in that coldness, there was a touch of tenderness that she only showed to Chen Fei.

"let's go."

Chen Fei whispered, and lightly touched the stone tablet mural with a wisp of dark golden Yuan energy at his fingertips.

"Buzz!"

On the stone tablet mural, silvery-white ripples spread out again, and wherever the ripples passed, the ancient patterns on the mural began to move and recombine along mysterious paths.

A stable and clear spatial fluctuation emanated from inside the mural, growing stronger and stronger.

A new, silvery-white portal leading to an unknown region began to slowly emerge and coalesce on the surface of the mural.

However, just as this gate was about to be fully completed...

"Boom!"

It did not come from the portal that was about to open, but from outside the main hall.

A terrifying ripple, dark as ink yet interspersed with destructive golden-red light, erupted from the deepest part of the ruins with an irresistible, majestic power, like a world-ending tsunami, sweeping indiscriminately in all directions.

Wherever this ripple passed, the space, like fragile glass, revealed countless fine, dark spatial cracks.

Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu's expressions changed slightly at the same time. Even though Chen Fei had broken through to the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm and his strength had greatly increased, he still felt insignificant in the face of this sudden energy ripple.

"boom!"

The destructive ripples crashed violently against the ancient hall.

"Crack!"

The hall, already dilapidated from the previous battle, was now like a candle flickering in the wind, emitting its final lament.

The walls, pillars, and dome collapsed and shattered on a large scale. The entire hall trembled and shook violently, as if it would completely disintegrate at any moment and be wiped away by the destructive ripples.

The teleportation portal that Chen Fei was opening earlier was the first to be directly impacted by the violent spatial ripples.

"laugh!"

The silvery-white portal's light and shadow flickered and twisted violently before extinguishing and shattering. Before the portal was even fully formed, it was violently shaken apart by this sudden ripple.

Not only were the stone tablets and murals themselves severely impacted, but their originally stable spatial coordinates and teleportation channels were also completely disrupted and distorted by this destructive external ripple.

“This fluctuation…” Cao Feiyu was protected by Chen Fei at her side, her face filled with solemnity and surprise.

Faced with the destructive ripples that swept in, Cao Feiyu felt a suffocating sense of oppression, as if she were an ant facing the might of heaven.

Chen Fei remained silent. The center of that terrifying energy eruption was still quite a distance from their current location, but even so, the aftershocks it emitted were already incredibly powerful, even disrupting and destroying the stability of the surrounding space.

Chen Fei tightened his grip on Cao Feiyu's slender waist, and with a swift movement, he led Cao Feiyu away from the trial hall.

As soon as I stepped out of the main hall, a bright and open space opened up before me.

The sky above the ancient celestial ruins was no longer the same dark and unchanging scene it had been before; instead, it was like boiling water, violently churning, twisting, and changing.

The pitch-black darkness, seemingly capable of swallowing all light, and the scorching, dazzling gold and red—two completely different energies—are like two ancient dragons locked in a fierce battle, entangled and colliding wildly.

Where pitch black and golden red intertwine and vanish, space collapses and crumbles in patches, revealing an even deeper and more chaotic void turbulence behind.

Thick, mountain-like spatial rifts spread and tore across the sky, emitting a chilling "crack" sound.

Countless shattered star fragments, ancient palace debris, and even some indistinct, gigantic artifact phantoms were torn apart and evaporated in the collision of these two energies.

At the same time, an indescribable, vast aura erupted from the deepest and most central area of ​​the ruins, surging forth.

This aura was so strong and powerful that it was far more vast and terrifying than any cultivator Chen Fei had ever seen.

It was a qualitative difference, like a firefly versus the moon, a stream versus a vast ocean. Just sensing the aftershocks of this aura from afar made Chen Fei feel his blood and qi slightly stagnate, and the circulation of his vast internal energy seemed to be suppressed by some invisible force.

"What... kind of power is this?" Cao Feiyu gripped Chen Fei's arm tightly.

Chen Fei frowned, staring at the apocalyptic scene in the sky. His Devouring Heaven Divine Forging technique activated automatically within his body, resisting the invasion of that terrifying pressure.

"I don't know. Perhaps some forbidden entity that has been sealed away for countless years deep within these ancient celestial ruins has awakened?" Chen Fei said in a deep voice.

"Look there."

Cao Feiyu suddenly pointed to the sky above, near the core area where the two energies were colliding wildly. There seemed to be several streams of light emanating powerful auras struggling to fly away.

Chen Fei's gaze also caught those streaks of light, and his expression became even more serious.

"This place is not safe either; the energy ripples will continue to spread."

Chen Fei withdrew his gaze, looked at Cao Feiyu beside him, and said in a deep voice, "We must immediately move away from here to the outer perimeter of the ruins, or at least to an area where the energy fluctuations are relatively calm, and observe the situation. This force... is not something we can get involved in right now."

Cao Feiyu nodded emphatically, understanding the gravity of the situation. Opportunities are tempting, but one must also be alive to enjoy them. Faced with such a dramatic upheaval, acting cautiously and preserving oneself was the top priority.

"go!"

Without further hesitation, Chen Fei's inner energy surged, forming a faint dark golden halo on his body, enveloping Cao Feiyu as well, thus maximizing his resistance to the terrifying pressure and the impact of the energy turbulence from the outside world.

With a swift movement, he carried Cao Feiyu and transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the outer perimeter of the ruins.

Behind them, the ancient trial hall, after being swept by another wave of dark, golden-red ripples, finally let out its last groan and collapsed completely, turning into a ruin shrouded in chaotic energy.

Above the sky, the apocalyptic scene of pitch black and golden red intertwined continued, and intensified.

The dramatic changes in the world were far more than just the cataclysmic energy collisions and upheavals in the sky.

With Cao Feiyu in his arms, Chen Fei moved with lightning speed through the ruins and turbulent energy currents.

As they continued to fly outwards, a more fundamental change quietly occurred within these ancient celestial ruins and spread rapidly.

Originally, although this ancient celestial court ruin was broken and filled with chaotic energy and vengeful demons, its rules of heaven and earth still maintained a relatively clear balance and separation of yin and yang.

But at this moment, with the eruption of incomprehensible terror from the depths of the ruins, this fragile balance was completely shattered and disrupted.

Not only was there confusion in the aura, but also the stability of space, the flow of time, and even some basic rules of the five elements showed signs of distortion.

One step could cause the seemingly calm ground to suddenly collapse into a spatial vortex. A seemingly harmless ruin could be suddenly detonated by chaotic yin and yang energies, turning into a destructive energy storm.

Moreover, this confusion of Yin and Yang is not static, but rather dynamic and spreading, and it is becoming increasingly intense.

"boom!"

An even more terrifying aura than at the beginning, like an invisible tsunami, swept in from the deepest part of the ruins, along the passage where yin and yang were mixed.

Chen Fei abruptly stopped atop a relatively high cliff. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but the terrifying pressure sweeping over him directly affected his soul.

Chen Fei felt his soul tremble violently in an instant. An indescribable feeling of palpitation, insignificance, and as if facing the collapse of the Great Dao rose involuntarily from the deepest part of his heart.

Cao Feiyu, who was standing next to her, let out a muffled groan, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fei's inner energy erupted, and he no longer bothered to conceal his aura. His speed instantly increased to the extreme, transforming into a dark golden streak of light. He grabbed Cao Feiyu and sped off in the chosen direction without looking back.

Above the sky, the clash between pitch black and golden red intensified, as if two ancient giants were waging a world-destroying war.

The area beneath their feet, where yin and yang were intertwined, was spreading at a visible speed, with more and more areas falling into a desperate situation of energy turbulence, spatial distortion, and disordered rules.

The howling wind whistled in her ears, and the bizarre and dazzling scenery rushed past her eyes. Cao Feiyu was being led by Chen Fei, traversing the drastically changed ruins at an astonishing speed.

Chen Fei's divine sense constantly covered all directions, avoiding all perceived dangers.

He navigated around areas where Yin and Yang were confused, avoided turbulent energy bursts, and when he occasionally encountered vengeful demons, he chose to avoid them rather than kill them.

Cao Feiyu was equally focused, cooperating with Chen Fei by extending her own divine sense to check for any omissions or deficiencies.

After she broke through to the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, the strength and range of her divine sense also increased greatly. Although it was not as powerful as Chen Fei's, it could still cover the left and right sides, adding an extra layer of protection.

In this way, the two worked together seamlessly and sped towards the outer perimeter of the ruins for about fifteen minutes without any major incidents.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, a deep hum, seemingly from the ancient wilderness, resounded without warning throughout every corner of the ancient celestial ruins.

The sound wasn't sharp, but it carried a power that pierced the soul, like the lament of the entire ruins, or the first sigh of some terrifying being that had slept for countless years, opening its eyes.

Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu were both jolted, and suddenly looked up at the sky.

The sky, which had been turned upside down by the violent collision of two destructive energies, pitch black and golden red, suddenly darkened.

Above the core area where the energy collision was most intense, endless, extreme darkness emerged and converged out of thin air.

This darkness is neither emptiness nor demonic energy, but a pure darkness containing endless death and decay.

The darkness rapidly coalesced and contracted, finally transforming into an enormous black sun at the highest point of the sky. (End of Chapter)