Chapter 1239: Pingnan Pass

Ah, forget it, no matter how this place is, right now I can barely protect myself, what's the point of worrying about these.

Thinking back to the horror of those spirit plants and the Titan Ink Shovel Armor, Lin Feng couldn't help but wryly shake his head, his expression full of helplessness.

But soon, his expression changed slightly, and he raised his head to look toward where the Ancient Devouring Grass was.

After his gaze flickered for a moment, Lin Feng gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "Anyway, other places aren't necessarily safe either; it's better to go there and try my luck, see if I can pick up something leftover. At least this way I might gain something this time instead of coming back empty-handed."

Thinking this through, he hesitated no longer; with a movement of his body, he indicated he was hiding in the dense forest, silently shooting toward the location of the Ancient Devouring Grass at high speed.

Buzz—

Meanwhile, as Lin Feng tried to pick up leftovers, on the other side the Titan Ink Shovel Armor, after flying over countless mountains, finally landed on a platform of a man-made cave carved into a steep cliff.

"Huh, Little Black, who injured you like this? Could it be you provoked those guys again?"

The Titan Ink Shovel Armor had just landed on the platform when a slightly surprised voice sounded, then slowly transmitted from the cave.

Upon hearing that, the Titan Ink Shovel Armor angrily opened and closed its jaws a few times, then waved its claws and fangs, making some movements.

Although I don't know what it's doing, from its constantly opening and closing jaws and its crimson eyes, it's clearly extremely angry.

"What? A new native broke the seal and entered this damned place?"

In the moment the Titan Ink Shovel Armor was waving its claws and fangs, the voice inside the cave instantly became extremely astonished and unexpected.

In the blink of an eye, a figure suddenly appeared before the black giant worm, looking north with interest and murmuring: "Another newcomer has arrived; I should notify them to come take a look. Although the chances are slim, perhaps this person really has the key to leave on them."

"I don't want to stay in this damned place for a moment; I miss the ancestors, they surely also want to leave this place, right, Little Black?"

After saying that, the figure reached out and touched the Titan Ink Shovel Armor's huge upper jaw.

He then continued: "No wonder the Purple Soul powder and the Devouring Grass juice have left you in such a sorry state; it looks like you provoked those grasses again. But you need to endure for a while, after all, although I can deal with these grasses, that tree—the ancestor's physical body has collapsed, and his soul cannot leave."

After saying that, he fell silent for a moment, then continued: "If this newcomer truly has a way to leave, then all I need to do is bring the ancestor out of here. According to those people earlier, the Dou Qi Continent now has no Sovereign-level experts because the primal imperial qi has been exhausted. Once we find a way to rescue the ancestor, it won't be up to us to decide, hehe."

While speaking, he couldn't help but let out a light laugh, his tone filled with great surprise and excitement.

He has been trapped in this damned place since birth, and now he finally sees hope of leaving.

Upon hearing that, the Titan Ink Shovel Armor immediately jumped excitedly.

After all, being locked up in this place for nearly ten thousand years, who could bear it!

"Hehe."

Seeing the Titan Ink Shovel Armor's excited appearance, the figure couldn't help but shake his head and let out a light laugh.

Next, he lightly waved his hand, and immediately several tiny gray insects, each smaller than one-tenth of a micrometer, silently slipped out from his palm and flew off in different directions.

Having done that, the figure turned his head toward the huge black worm beside him and said: "Come on, Little Black, take me to where you met that person to have a look."

Buzz—

Receiving the order, the Titan Ink Shovel Armor immediately vibrated its wings behind it and raced toward the distant sky.

As for that figure, he followed like a ghost, closely trailing behind the worm as they flew off into the distance.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

While the person and beast ahead were excited, on the other side Lin Feng carefully maneuvered through the forest for a moment, then silently appeared behind a patch of grass taller than a person, cautiously observing the tall mountain opposite.

More precisely, it was a huge green-powder plant on a plateau at the mountainside.

This plant, with its special wedge-shaped main body and the two pinkish iron leaves densely covered with tiny spikes on top, unmistakably identifies it as the Ancient Devouring Grass that previously fought the Titan Ink Shovel Armor and the purple-flowered spirit plant.

However, the Devouring Grass now lacks the vigor it had when battling the late-stage Eight-Star ancient armored creature; instead, it looks wilted, its branches and leaves yellowed, as if it could die at any moment.

"Hehe, it seems I guessed right—this Devouring Grass was previously held back by that Eight-Star Dou Saint–level purple blossom, then, completely unprepared, had its spirit-energy projection shattered by the Titan Ink Shovel Armor; now it's severely wounded, almost on the brink of death."

Upon seeing the withered yellow Ancient Devouring Grass on the opposite peak, Lin Feng's mouth twitched into a grin and he rejoiced inwardly.

After all, he knew something about this Ancient Devouring Grass, aware that its body stores a special kind of gas.

If he could obtain this gas and scatter it when facing an enemy, even an Eight-Star Dou Saint expert would likely be thrown into disarray for a while.

Of course, even more tempting is the Devouring Grass's root.

Since this Devouring Grass differs from other spirit plants—it does not rely on its roots to absorb heavenly and earthly energy to grow, but instead uses those "steel" leaves to prey on other living beings or absorbs energy through its leaves.

Therefore, its root, which cannot absorb energy from the soil, has become its energy reserve.

Inside it is stored all the energy that the Devouring Grass has not absorbed.

Judging by the strength of this Devouring Grass before him, if he could obtain it, he would be confident of advancing to Seven-Star Dou Saint within half a year.

"Let's give it a shot—rising from Six-Star to Seven-Star Dou Saint, and if the Devouring Grass's special predatory leaves are refined, they could surely be forged into some offensive weapons or traps; even an Eight-Star Dou Saint would likely need some time to break free. This time—let's do it!"

Thinking of the Devouring Grass, every part of which is a treasure, Lin Feng's heart instantly heated up, and he gritted his teeth.

After all, the Devouring Grass is already extinct in the outside world, and moreover this is an Eight-Star Dou Saint–level specimen.

This time, only because the opponent was severely wounded by the Titan Ink Shovel Armor does he have a chance; if he misses this village, there will be no such shop.

And thinking that the Devouring Grass fears fire, Lin Feng immediately asked in his mind: "Xiao Ling, have you recovered?"

"Not yet; that lotus up front almost drained all my energy. Unless you give me a pile of Nine-Grade Treasure Pills to recover, Master, I'll need at least a few days."

In response to Lin Feng's query, Xiao Ling quickly transformed into a fist-sized doll girl standing on his shoulder, spreading her hands helplessly.

Hearing that, Lin Feng resignedly said: "Looks like I can only rely on myself."

While speaking, Lin Feng swiftly formed a strange hand seal and solemnly intoned: "Grand Mystery."

"Master, wait a moment—quickly look at what that grass is doing!"

Just as he was concentrating on executing his battle technique, Xiao Ling's surprised voice suddenly interrupted his actions, and she kept shaking his ears with her tiny hands, urging him to look at the Devouring Grass.

"Oh dear, Xiao Ling, be gentle—my ears!"

And when Xiao Ling suddenly yanked his ears hard, Lin Feng instinctively let out an anguished cry.

But soon, after reacting, he hastily suppressed the sound, then followed Xiao Ling's words to gaze at the Devouring Grass on the opposite peak.

However, upon looking, he was instantly scared out of his wits, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest. Beside the root of that Devouring Grass, at some point a grayish-black flat round bead had appeared; from afar it looked like a huge black soybean.

"Of course, what Lin Feng feared was not the 'soybean' itself, but that the Devouring Grass had already laid this 'soybean'!"

"Master, what is this thing?"

Seeing Lin Feng's body suddenly twitch, and then a large amount of sweat quickly beading on his forehead, Xiao Ling asked in confusion.

After all, that bean didn't look dangerous to her at all, so why was her own master so frightened?

Hearing that, Lin Feng's throat twitched, and his voice trembled as he said, "That is a seed of Devouring Life Grass. According to ancient texts, the seed of Devouring Life Grass is gray‑black when it first falls to the ground, and after being nourished by the mother tree for a period, it turns pure black. If the energy can keep up thereafter, the seed will break its shell within a thousand years."

"Of course, during this period, the best supplement is the life force within a living being's body. If it is nourished with a large amount of life force, its germination time will be shortened without limit, even causing it to break its shell instantly!"

"Uh."

After hearing Lin Feng's explanation, Xiao Ling furrowed her brows and, still puzzled, said, "Absorbing life force to grow is indeed strange, but such cases do exist in the outside world; many of your human secret arts also absorb life force to strengthen the self. Is it really that terrifying?"

At this point, the little girl's otherwise flawless face grew even more clouded with doubt.

After all, his own master, in order to increase his strength, wouldn't even hesitate to absorb life force, let alone gnaw a soul directly; why is he suddenly becoming timid?

"You think I'm afraid of the seed. It's that Devouring Life Grass; when its seed lands, it temporarily drops a few realms because the seed draws away a lot of energy. The Devouring Life Grass right here fits that condition perfectly, doesn't it?"

At this point, Lin Feng quickly stepped back a few paces and, with apprehension, said, "Considering that this Devouring Life Grass, even after birthing, still possesses the strength of an Eight-Star Late‑stage Dou Saint, its peak must have been at least a Nine-Star Early‑stage Dou Saint. Even if its realm temporarily falls, its lingering power remains."

"It was simply that the Titan Ink‑Spade Armor ahead was fortunate, initially encountering the main body of that purple‑flower plant instead of this Devouring Life Grass main body. Moreover, that insect subsists on the juice and essence of spirit plants, giving it a natural counter to spirit plants; otherwise it would have been eaten clean by now."

"After all, a monster of Eight-Star Dou Saint rank; if this Devouring Life Grass main body were to enter a defensive state in advance, even a thousand years of attacks by the Titan Ink‑Spade Armor wouldn't cause it the slightest harm. Our plan to strike its main body is like trying to light a lamp in a toilet—certain death!"

While speaking, Lin Feng showed no hesitation, slipped away, and turned to run.

After all, even a severely wounded Nine-Star Dou Saint is not something he can afford to provoke now!

When Xiao Ling heard "Nine-Star Dou Saint," she nearly peed on Lin Feng's shoulder, then quickly urged, "Master, run, hurry, I feel the urge to pee!"

"You think it's just you? I'm the same!"

Hearing that, Lin Feng instantly glared at Xiao Ling in irritation; a Nine-Star Dou Saint‑level ancient spirit plant—who wouldn't feel weak in the knees upon seeing it?

As soon as the words finished, Lin Feng could no longer care about coveting the treasures on the Devouring Life Grass's whole body; he sprinted tens of thousands of li in one breath before finally stopping.

"Phew, now it should be safe. Though this spirit plant lives long and has a high ceiling, its main body is hard to move, and its spirit form's strength is far inferior to the main body. Even if the Devouring Life Grass spirit form pursues me now, I dare to fight it."

Leaning against the dense branches at the top of a large tree, Lin Feng, still trembling, cast a glance at the dense forest and endless mountains behind him, then wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Just now, it was fortunate that Xiao Ling reminded him; otherwise, if he foolishly ran over to unleash the Tai Xuan Yu Huo Formation, he probably wouldn't even know how he died.

But that can't be blamed on him; after all, though his soul power isn't weak, trying to see through a Nine-Star Dou Saint is rather beyond his capability.

Even an Imperial‑realm soul wouldn't dare claim to see a Nine-Star Dou Saint‑level aberration completely clearly.

However, after Lin Feng let out a big sigh, relaxed, and carefully explored the area ahead, he was surprised and said, "Huh, I didn't expect that just by running, I'd end up at the base of an ancient sect."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Feng's face instantly lit with anticipation; he then surged forward, dashing toward the four peaks positioned at the east, west, south and north corners, which guarded a central, sharply rising mountain ridge that towered far above the surrounding peaks.

Because Lin Feng moved extremely fast, in less than the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea, he and Xiao Ling arrived before the towering peak at the center of the four mountains.

Upon arriving, Lin Feng's soul power immediately radiated outward, meticulously scanning the surrounding peaks.

Soon after, he discovered numerous human structures and traces of habitation among these peaks.

At the same time, Lin Feng found that the valleys between the four peaks and the central peak were filled with endless clusters of buildings.

These buildings shared a uniform design, were laid out extremely logically, and at their centers lay a wide avenue encircling the central peak; the structures were all built along both sides of the road.

Under Lin Feng's soul‑power sweep, it quickly became clear that each valley between the outer four peaks contained a road leading to the outside world.

At the points where these avenues entered the valley cities stood towering stones a hundred zhang high, each bearing inscriptions, all of which read

"Pingnan Pass!"

Seeing those three characters, Lin Feng immediately furrowed his brows, his face full of confusion.

Because if this place were described as a sect base, he would readily believe it, but it's a pass.

"What does Pingnan Pass guard?"

"Why was it built here?"

"There's nothing special here that could hinder an enemy's attack."

"Also, if this place is indeed a pass, what is it meant to pacify?"

Seeing this inexplicable place name, Lin Feng's mind instantly filled with one question after another.

He truly couldn't make sense of this place!

"In the Dou Qi Continent, 'Ping' generally refers to a place where people rebel, disrupting the continent's normal order, so one or multiple forces representing the will of most of the continent's people send agents to pacify the rebellion here."

Thinking of this, Lin Feng's curious gaze turned to the peaks guarded by the four mountains, murmuring, "Could it be that someone once pacified a rebellion here... or repelled an external enemy?"

"External enemies. Internal traitors pacified."

After pondering for a long while, Lin Feng recalled the information he had obtained from the Golden Core master Na Jie.

But after much recollection, he ultimately shook his head helplessly.

In the records left by that Golden Core master, there was no mention at all of any unrest in this place.

"Could it be that this happened after that Golden Core master's downfall?"

Thinking of this, Lin Feng calculated that the Golden Core master was roughly a contemporary of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, and had even met the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor before he ascended, when his Dou Qi rank was only an early‑stage Dou Saint.

When this alchemist was ambushed and fell by his concubine, the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor apparently had not yet become emperor.

So that would mean this place's events likely occurred during the period between the Golden Core master's fall and the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's ascension!

After all, the time when the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor became emperor is regarded as the dividing line between antiquity and the present.

Since then, the continent's records have become relatively complete, with few losses, and the system is also very comprehensive.

"But returning to the point, why is there so much missing data from before the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's ascension, and why are the cultivation records from antiquity so severely lacking?"

Thinking of this, the questions in Lin Feng's mind instantly multiplied. (End of chapter)