Chapter 1534: The Strongest on Pollen Road

Inside the stone jar was a small, purplish-brown tree, barely palm-high. It looked sickly, with drooping leaves, and a half-closed bud at its tip.

Last time, the powerful-grade strange soil was insufficient, forcing Chu Feng to halt his evolution and nearly causing an accident. Now, he was resuming his path.

Without hesitation, he immediately prepared eight portions of rare and special soil. If it wasn't enough, he could add more.

This was the result of abundant evolutionary resources; he possessed a large amount of primordial-grade soil and didn't care about the consumption. As long as he could evolve, any cost was worth it.

The effect was immediate. The small tree, which had withered last time, now grew rapidly, shooting up instantly and no longer appearing dim or wilted.

With a rumble, accompanied by thunder and chaotic mist, it seemed like a World Tree, creating heaven and earth, depicting the scene of primordial genesis.

All its leaves fluttered, purple energy coiled upwards, and a dense chaotic mist ascended. The scene of the world's dawn was revealed: grand paths intertwined, order grew, the first ray of light flowed, bestowing vitality upon all things, and the first sound bloomed, enlightening all spirits.

This was incredibly unique, leaving Chu Feng somewhat bewildered. Unlike last time, the small tree, after shooting up and undergoing a second growth, was remarkably different upon its recovery.

He had thought this time the tree would simply grow and the flower would re-bloom, but the sight was far more astonishing than before.

He observed closely. Although the creation-like scene was hazy and not truly occurring, it still deeply moved him, leading to an epiphany.

Boom!

He suddenly grasped opportunities to comprehend many previously incomprehensible techniques and pathways that he could not advance through.

White mist, the essence of the innate, flowed in and out of his mouth and nose. As he activated the Daoist Breathing Technique, he exchanged energy with the small, world-creating tree.

Instantly, Chu Feng's entire body became hazy, enveloped by the tree's purple mist and covered in chaos.

He felt as if he had returned to the era when all things were born, seeing the first ray of light, hearing the first sound, and having the first Dao patterns of that creation era form unique designs on his body.

Chu Feng was breaking through, truly advancing towards the Eternal Venerable realm!

In the Heavenly Venerable realm, those of the "Great" generation were already exalted, but entering the "Eternal" domain allowed one to look down upon the heavens, transcend beyond, and even regard all heroes of ancient and modern times with disdain.

Beings of the Eternal level were truly rare. At least among the current generation of living beings in the Yang Realm, Chu Feng had not yet encountered a living Eternal Venerable.

"Ah..."

Chu Feng roared, his voice muffled, like a wounded beast pierced by countless spears and pinned in a cage.

He was truly covered in blood, his entire body riddled with bloody holes, enduring unbearable pain.

This was not a hallucination, but a real event; he was wounded from head to toe.

In the void, countless weapons, from knives of order to decaying spears, were all aimed at him, piercing and tearing him.

Blood flowed from Chu Feng's eye sockets, and streaks of bloody tears streaked his cheeks. He was in great pain and confusion. He was on the verge of breaking through, about to become an Eternal Heavenly Venerable, so how could he be blocked?

Moreover, this deadly tribulation was so sudden, giving no time to react.

Even his Fiery Golden Eyes were pierced. Such pain would be unbearable for an ordinary person, yet he merely grunted, and runes flowed from his pupils, forcing out two spears.

"Blocking my path of evolution, destroying my great Dao?!"

Chu Feng growled. Though his eyes were pierced and he was severely wounded, he could still perceive everything around him.

At this moment, boundless darkness seemed to dye the entire world black. The darkest hour had arrived, submerging all things under heaven.

The weapons on his body were not illusory; they were chillingly real. Was this the essence of ominousness, or the source of some supreme energy?

Heaven and earth were silent. Only Chu Feng himself emitted a faint light. The entire forest, the entire vast mountain range, was covered in a thick fog, the sun and moon lightless, and the world lost its color.

Furthermore, Chu Feng heard the tolling of a death knell. Was it ringing for him?

His body began to rot, deteriorating completely. It started from the wounds on his body, spreading to his limbs and bones, and then eroding deep into his soul.

Never before had he been in such danger, plunged into utter despair.

True, complete decay usually only began at the Grand Universe level.

However, he had undergone premature mutation, which first appeared last time, and today it was several times more severe. This was a terrifying tribulation!

"Dong!"

A deep chime echoed. This was not an illusion; a massive black bell truly emerged at the end of time, reverberating towards Chu Feng.

In an instant, his entire body was covered in black runes, emanating a decaying aura, with dense, strange patterns spreading across all his wounds.

What was happening?

As he evolved, on the cusp of transformation, he was attacked by such an unpredictable force. It felt ominous, like an inherent suppression rooted in the very source of the Great Dao!

Indeed, Chu Feng believed that there was a major problem with the entire evolutionary path, and its fundamental cause seemed to be related to the source of the Great Dao; the entire path had been corrupted.

"I must revive and ascend to a higher level of life!"

He roared, his face covered in blood flowing from his eyes. Yet, the wounds on his body became even more terrifying, black patterns intertwining into weapons that pierced his entire body.

The decay worsened, and he felt as if he were on the verge of death.

"I am immortal, how could I fall on the path of evolution!"

Chu Feng growled, his entire body radiating light, intending to expel the mysterious and terrifying patterns. He activated his breathing technique to thoroughly cleanse his blood and soul.

At the same time, he stood tall, golden characters, special ancient writings from the stone jar, inscribed upon him from head to toe.

The purplish-brown small tree swayed, having grown to sixty feet tall. Its leaves fluttered like pages of a scripture turning, and indeed, a chanting sound, calming and focusing the mind, emanated from it.

At the top of the tree, the pure white flower re-bloomed, showering Chu Feng with mist-like pollen, engulfing him.

"I must transform, I must become stronger!"

With a crash, Chu Feng's body surged, releasing an unyielding power. The golden characters, like eternal light, enveloped him from head to toe, merging into his blood and flowing throughout his body, purifying him.

However, it must be said that this tribulation was extremely terrifying. His body was covered in wounds and still carried the aura of decay, not entirely eradicated.

Crack!

A sound like a breaking chain came from Chu Feng's body. The energy within his flesh erupted like a volcano. Even as his body decayed, his power terrifyingly surged by a large margin.

Eternal Venerable!

At this moment, Chu Feng had become an "Eternal" generation being within the Heavenly Venerable realm, a rarity in the Yang Realm throughout history, with only a handful mentioned even in the annals of the heavens.

At least in official history, the recorded beings could be counted on one hand!

Chu Feng's eyes shone brightly, his bleeding eye sockets healing. Golden light, like a waterfall, poured down from the void above his head, covering every inch of his flesh.

Currently, he held a single Eternal Venerable Dao Fruit; this time, his Dao Fruits had not advanced simultaneously. However, he was not in a hurry, knowing that both Dao Fruits were destined to fully sublimate today.

But there was one problem: the wounds on his body remained, and the decay was not eradicated. Even after transforming and becoming an Eternal Venerable, the tribulation was still evolving.

And at this moment, with a resounding boom, at the end of time, deep within the source of the Great Dao, the black death knell tolled once more.

Even the crystalline parts of his body began to crack, threatening to completely decay!

"Is this a fatal blow from the root of the Great Dao?!"

Chu Feng shivered. He felt that today he had touched upon some forbidden domain, something exceptionally unusual.

He increasingly felt that the problem with this path was severe; there was something at its source that was unknown to later generations.

Perhaps this was why the path ahead was broken, preventing anyone from crossing it and achieving the supreme Dao Fruit!

Within this lay boundless danger and extreme terror!

Chu Feng extended his hand; it was pitch black and completely cracked.

Originally, he had advanced and was transforming, but now his entire body was turning black, deteriorating, with large areas of his flesh rotting away.

"This is related to the previous special tribulation. Additionally, my accumulation is ultimately not deep enough, and it's now beginning to backfire," Chu Feng murmured.

He did not panic, examining himself with a transcendent mindset.

He had long been somewhat mentally prepared for this phenomenon.

After all, in the ancestral hall of Zhou Xi's family, he had tested whether he could still evolve rapidly.

The resulting scene he projected was chilling; the old monster of the Zhou clan explicitly told him not to risk it again, and that he needed to cool down for several thousand to ten thousand years.

Coupled with today's exceptionally unusual tribulation, this led to him suffering a major calamity now!

He had no choice. How could he restrict himself for ten thousand years? At this stage, all worlds were facing destruction; he had to seize every moment, even risking danger to transform.

At this time, there was ample powerful-grade soil, fully supporting the growth of the purplish-brown tree. The entire tree emanated purple energy, imbued with Dao charm.

The aura of creation permeated the air. All the petals bloomed, gradually releasing all their pollen, bringing Chu Feng's other Dao Fruit to a critical stage.

It was truly regrettable that the medicinal effects of the pollen seemed unable to fully slow Chu Feng's decaying transformation, severely impacting his evolution!

Originally, the pollen was sufficient to elevate his life and achieve the dual Eternal Venerable Dao Fruit, but the tribulation was too unique, striking abruptly and blocking him!

"Ultimately, one must rely on oneself."

Chu Feng murmured. In this most perilous, life-threatening situation, he tried his best to remain calm and composed.

As he raised his hand, chunks of his flesh peeled off, eroded by the aura of decay. Even his bones had become porous and lost their luster.

He quieted his mind, comprehended the Dao, and re-enacted all the evolutionary methods he had encountered in his life, allowing himself to gradually become clear and empty, unconcerned even if he decayed the next moment.

Chu Feng affirmed that the Daoist Breathing Technique was, after all, the foundation!

Abandoning everything, he traced back to the source. Since it was the pollen path, the corresponding breathing technique was its root. He was deducing and performing breathing and soul-light resonance that suited him.

In fact, at this moment, even his soul light was being eroded, gradually decaying like flesh.

Without joy or sorrow, he sat cross-legged under the tree once more, breathing in an inexplicable essence, as if he had arrived before the creation of heaven and earth, where everything returned to the primordial beginning, to its origin.

Here, he could clearly see the path of evolution. Chu Feng was indeed comprehending, merging with the mysterious source of Dao.

Particles floated everywhere, like countless candlelight in the darkness, or like countless dandelions fluttering in the sunset. Everywhere were the "seeds" of the pollen path.

These were spirits, the most fundamental substances.

Some also believed these were particles formed from the heroic spirits of past sages.

Regardless, these formed the foundation of the pollen path, belonging to the most essential things. They had once ascended above the heavens, only to decline and return to their homeland.

Now, Chu Feng sat cross-legged beneath the purplish-brown tree. He was tracing back, intending to understand what exactly had gone wrong with this path.

Since he could enter this special scene, or perhaps a peculiar domain, he intended to continue forward this time and discern some of the path's true essence.

Last time, he had already touched upon it, even guiding Old Gu to comprehend the Dao and see this path.

This further led to Old Gu later achieving the Grand Primordial Dao Fruit when he broke through to the powerful level.

"Spirits" filled the sky, countless "candle flames" flickered, illuminating the darkness. A blurry path emerged, and Chu Feng stood upon it, walking forward.

Time seemed to stand still; its passage was imperceptible. Chu Feng journeyed alone, with endless abysses on either side. A fall would mean the destruction of both body and spirit!

Such a path, stretching across abysses, was fraught with peril.

When he looked up, he again saw the scene at the end: a broken path, with a black chasm spanning across, blocking everything.

"Someday, I will become the strongest on the pollen path!"

He made a vow in his heart, gradually becoming clear-minded. Even as his flesh withered and his soul light dimmed, he maintained his tranquility.

Countless spirits flew through the sky, gradually converging and spreading beneath his feet, forming brilliant Dao patterns that accelerated his progress.

Furthermore, large areas of spirits became even more resplendent, whistling like a rain of light as they surged towards his body, nourishing his form.

The decay was temporarily halted but not eradicated.

He knew not how long passed. Time's fading felt like only an instant.

Yet, upon closer reflection, it felt as if thousands of years had passed, with vast changes like seas turning into mulberry fields and a hundred generations of humanity. Chu Feng had experienced much on the path, walking and stopping, truly comprehending and pondering deeply. His breathing technique had even been slightly adjusted several times!

Crack!

A breaking sound came from within him. A restriction, a great Dao chain, snapped. He abruptly looked up, having now achieved the dual Eternal Venerable Dao Fruit!

Powerful energy surged. Chu Feng genuinely felt his strength increase, yet he showed no joy, for black patterns still covered his body, the earlier pierced bloody holes remained, and his wounds persisted, showing no improvement.

Furthermore, after stepping onto this blurry path, he heard the death knell once more.

"I don't believe I can't eradicate you; I will forge the strongest path,"

Chu Feng murmured, refusing to believe that the tribulation could not be completely overcome or eradicated.

At the same time, he vaguely sensed a major problem at the source of this path: something, some abnormal and negative entity, had caused all this.

Chu Feng advanced along the blurry path, gazing forward. The intimidating beams of light shooting from his eyes transformed entirely into special runes, piercing through the dense fog.

At the chasm, the end of the path, a terrifying scene was revealed!

Was that an event from eons ago? Something concerning the heavens above!

Was that the truth?

"What is that? The strongest being on the pollen path?!"

This path was broken, and its source indeed had a major problem. Its essence emerged there, illuminating the scene from the past!