Chapter 178: Hating Heaven
Although the light here wasn’t great, allowing him to only vaguely make out his surroundings, Chu Feng was no ordinary person.
As such, he could see everything in this place with perfect clarity.
"Someone lived here?" Chu Feng said in surprise.
’I thought this was just a wild boar’s den, but it looks like there’s more to it than meets the eye.’
Chu Feng cautiously examined his surroundings, observing everything in detail.
"I’m afraid no one has been here for several hundred years, have they?" Chu Feng said after looking around.
The traces of a campfire on the ground had nearly fossilized, and the skeleton shattered at the slightest touch.
It was only because the air here wasn’t damp, remaining dry year-round, that the skeleton’s surface was still intact. Otherwise, it would have long since turned to dust.
"This is a truly great place. It’s a good thing no one knows about it. If those Martial Arts Families found out, they’d probably fight to the death to get their hands on it," Chu Feng remarked with a sigh.
After all, Martial Arts Families flocked to feng shui-blessed lands like this—places that could gather qi and generate Spiritual Power.
The reason those people occupied famous mountains and hid deep within remote ranges was that the feng shui in those places was excellent, and the Spiritual Qi was far more abundant than in the outside world.
Chu Feng scanned the area and noticed a stove not far from the bed. The pot on the stove had rotted away, giving the place a dilapidated air.
Suddenly, something caught Chu Feng’s eye. He noticed some characters carved into the bed.
Most of the characters were in a traditional script, but Chu Feng could recognize all of them.
There weren’t many words, but what Chu Feng read left him deeply shaken.
"So, this person was from three hundred years ago," Chu Feng said in astonishment.
It was practically an autobiography. He had spent over a century in Cultivation, believing he had a chance to break through his bottleneck and achieve Ascension to the Celestial Realm.
Alas, despite being in seclusion here for over thirty years, he was ultimately unable to break through that final barrier.
Even though he had reached the pinnacle of what was possible to cultivate in his time, it was no use. In the end, he could not overcome the ravages of time and passed away here in meditation.
Based on the man’s account and some of his own speculation, Chu Feng figured the fellow had at most reached the Nascent Soul Realm. He was still a long way from Ascension.
However, someone at his realm should have been able to live for more than four hundred years, yet he ended up kicking the bucket at around two hundred.
This meant that several hundred years ago, the world’s Spiritual Power was already becoming scarce, making Ascension impossible.
’In the end, he could not overcome the ravages of time.’ Those words deeply resonated with Chu Feng.
The Cultivator’s final act was to leave behind two words: "Hate Heaven."
"In an era of depleted Spiritual Qi, life is too hard for both Martial Cultivators and Spirit Cultivators. Achieving Ascension is as difficult as reaching the heavens," Chu Feng lamented once again.
At that moment, a deep sigh echoed in Chu Feng’s heart.
’Even for someone like me, who has the Qi Cultivation Technique from the God of Wealth and can cultivate through Merit, the future is uncertain.’
’Cultivating all the way to Ascension will most likely be incredibly difficult.’
’And that’s not even mentioning my wife and family. How can I get them out of this predicament, set them on the path of Cultivation, and achieve Ascension together?’
The Spiritual Qi had been scarce for too long. Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, once common, had now become exceedingly rare.
"I’ll worry about that later. The Spiritual Qi here is abundant, so I’ll try cultivating for now," Chu Feng said.
He then sat on the stone bed and began his Cultivation.
As soon as he closed his eyes and began to cultivate, the surrounding Spiritual Power converged on him like specks of starlight.
Feeling this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, Chu Feng was filled with an incredible sense of comfort.
However, he didn’t maintain this state of Cultivation for long before he sensed something strange.
’Wait, where is this Spiritual Qi coming from?’ Chu Feng suddenly wondered aloud.
’Right, how could there be such dense Spiritual Power deep inside a mountain cave?’
’Is it coming from within the mountain itself? Or from beneath it?’
Chu Feng stood up and began to feel around, releasing his own senses to investigate.
He wanted to find out exactly where this Spiritual Power was originating from.
With each step he took, he would stop and feel it out carefully.
"Strange, why can’t I pinpoint it? It’s as if it’s just suffusing the entire atmosphere," Chu Feng said, a little confused.
He kept walking and looking around, but he couldn’t discover the source of the Spiritual Power.
Even so, Chu Feng didn’t give up his search.
He was determined to find the source today, as it could be of immense help to him.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
"It seems to be seeping up from the ground?" Chu Feng was startled, his face a mask of astonishment.
Because he was wearing shoes, the sensation wasn’t very clear.
Chu Feng promptly took off his shoes and stood barefoot on the ground to feel it.
He closed his eyes and stood there, cultivating.
Suddenly, his eyes shot open, filled with joyous surprise.
"It really is coming from the ground!" Chu Feng exclaimed happily.
He then looked for a tool to start digging down, but after searching the area, he couldn’t find anything suitable.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the sword lying next to the corpse. Though it was in its scabbard, it was covered in dust and looked as if it had completely rotted away.
However, when Chu Feng drew the sword, a metallic hum rang out, stunning him.
The sound was incredibly crisp, followed by a cold gleam that flashed before Chu Feng’s eyes.
"Whoa, what a sharp sword! How is it still brand new after several hundred years?" Chu Feng was utterly astounded.
The sword was also very heavy, weighing at least fifty pounds. An ordinary person would have a hard time even lifting it.
But for Chu Feng, the sword’s weight was no issue; it felt perfectly balanced in his hands.
At the same time, Chu Feng was surprised to discover two words carved on the blade: Heaven-Slaying!
"The Heaven-Slaying Sword?" Chu Feng murmured.
In that daze, he thought he heard the sword hum in response.
"Huh? Was that you answering me just now?" Chu Feng asked in surprise, but the sword gave no further reaction.
’Was I just imagining things?’ Chu Feng wondered.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. He had to get down to business.
So, Chu Feng took the sword and began to dig with it as if it were a shovel.
Although the ground was hard rock, the sword pierced it with ease, as if it were a chopstick stabbing into tofu.
’It’s that sharp?’ Chu Feng was amazed.
"This is truly a treasured sword." Chu Feng was deeply captivated by the blade; he liked it very much.
After pulling the sword out, Chu Feng examined it closely and found that the blade was completely undamaged.
This Cultivator, Hentian, must have once been very powerful. This sword alone was proof enough.