Chapter 451: The Anomaly of the Wild Ancient Realm! The Ancient Realm Platform! Akatsuki Yan

After Gu Yuan entered the courtyard, he noticed Chu Yang’s gaze upon him was peculiar; his eyes flicked toward the young maiden, then he cleared his throat and said:

“Er… Emperor Chu, news has arrived from the Wild Ancient Realm!”

“Oh?” Chu Yang raised an eyebrow; he had long tasked the Gu Clan with monitoring developments in the Wild Ancient Realm.

After all, though he had accelerated progress at a temporal node deep within the Wild Ancient Realm, he still could not confirm the exact time the Bodhi Tree would appear.

Gu Yuan continued: “The Bodhi Tree is about to manifest!”

“According to records, one month before each manifestation, the Bodhi Tree triggers celestial and terrestrial anomalies.”

“The anomalies have already appeared in the Wild Ancient Realm, and the location of the Bodhi Tree’s emergence has been locked.”

Here, Gu Yuan’s face showed a hint of confusion as he ventured cautiously: “Emperor Chu, are Itachi seeking the Bodhi Heart and Bodhi Seeds for the Yunlan Sect?”

Though the Bodhi Tree ranks among the supreme treasures of the Spirit Qi Continent, its greatest function is merely to grant immediate sainthood.

In Gu Yuan’s view, the Bodhi Tree held absolutely no value for Chu Yang.

Thus he guessed that Chu Yang’s interest in the Bodhi Tree was almost certainly to cultivate a powerhouse for the Yunlan Sect.

Chu Yang smiled without confirmation, then asked: “Does the Gu Clan have any interest in the Bodhi Tree?”

Gu Yuan hurriedly replied: “With Emperor Chu present, all forces on the continent will surely depart disheartened; our Gu Clan naturally won’t invite humiliation upon ourselves.”

After a moment’s thought, Chu Yang murmured: “Spread the word—I will personally journey to the Wild Ancient Realm, but I will not interfere in the struggle for the Bodhi Tree’s opportunity.”

“Whether it be the Bodhi Heart, the Bodhi Seeds, or the chance to meditate beneath the Bodhi Tree—any strength below the Saint Realm may compete for it by their own merit.”

Gu Yuan blinked in surprise; though his confusion deepened, he asked no further and took his leave.

Gu Yuan had indeed entertained private thoughts—he had assumed Chu Yang sought to seize the Bodhi Tree’s opportunity, but now it seemed otherwise.

If so, then the Gu Clan must certainly vie for it! After Gu Yuan departed, Chu Yang established communication with Pan Gu and Hei Ta, informing Nanlan Yanran of the Bodhi Tree’s news.

Nanlan Yanran was utterly ecstatic.

For she had nearly reached the peak of the Spirit Sovereign Realm; if she could seize the Bodhi Heart, she would surely break through to the Saint Realm immediately! Although the Source Scripture allowed her to overcome any bottleneck, the Bodhi Heart would drastically shorten the time needed to reach the Saint Realm.

Moreover, the Yunlan Sect needed this opportunity to further strengthen its overall power.

After Gu Yuan released the news, the entire Central Continent stirred.

Chu Yang had personally declared his arrival to the Wild Ancient Realm and issued a decree forbidding any Qiangzhe above the Saint Realm from interfering.

Thus, many Spirit Zunqiangzhe without major faction backing now had the courage to compete for the opportunity.

After all, everyone competes by their own ability—the outcome remains uncertain.

Consequently, vast numbers of Spirit Zunqiangzhe converged, even those from beyond the Central Continent rushed in.

For ninety-nine percent of Spirit Zunqiangzhe , the hope of breaking into the Saint Realm was vanishingly slim, perhaps unattainable in a lifetime.

But with a Bodhi Heart or Bodhi Seed, if they could secure a Pill Master to refine the Bodhi Great Restoration Pill, that slim hope could be amplified infinitely.

The gap between Spirit Sovereign and Saint Realm was like a celestial chasm; if one could cross it, not only would they ascend, but their entire sect or clan would rise with them.

After all, even the top-tier forces openly recognized on the Central Continent typically boasted only one or two Saint Realm elders.

…………

The Wild Ancient Realm.

This place was ordinarily a human forbidden zone, one of the oldest regions on the continent.

The Wild Ancient Realm’s environment was brutally harsh—poisonous mists blanketed the land, ferocious beasts teemed everywhere, and among them lurked numerous ancient aberrant species.

Even if one dropped the top-tier bloodlines of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix or the Void Ancient Dragon into it, their bloodline advantages would vanish entirely.

Yet the ferocious beasts and ancient aberrant creatures here were uniquely peculiar: unlike demons, they generally possessed low intelligence but were bloodthirsty and frenzied.

Under such conditions, even a peak Spirit Zunqiangzhe venturing alone might not survive—there had been bloody precedents.

Chu Yang strolled through the Wild Ancient Realm without using spatial teleportation or flight, as if walking through his own garden.

Wherever he passed, not a single ferocious beast dared approach.

Though these beasts lacked intelligence, they understood self-preservation and sensed the threat emanating from Chu Yang.

The deeper Chu Yang went, the tighter his brow furrowed.

This was his first time entering the Wild Ancient Realm; though previously, while altering the temporal node through the Klein Bottle, his soul force had swept across it briefly.

But at that time, the Klein Bottle had been rapidly draining his Source Qi, so Chu Yang had merely glanced and moved on without delay.

This time, as he walked and observed, he noticed something amiss in the Wild Ancient Realm.

These ferocious beasts did not seem inherently bloodthirsty or cruel, nor were they born with low intelligence—they appeared to have been influenced by something.

In other words, even if a human were born here, they too would be affected during growth!

To encompass such a vast area with such overwhelming influence, the source must be extraordinary—perhaps comparable to the Black Crystal.

But the Black Crystal was a stillborn Planetary Spirit—could there possibly be a second stillborn Planetary Spirit within the Wild Ancient Realm?

Chu Yang vaguely sensed that the secret of the Wild Ancient Realm might be tied to the historical gap of the Spirit Qi Continent.

Of all the clues he currently possessed pointing toward the historical gap, aside from the Ancestral Sound Emperor of the Sound Valley, only the Black Crystal and the Bodhi Tree remained.

The Bodhi Tree possessed low intelligence and could not communicate normally, yet it contained the negative emotions of a Spirit Emperor.

If one could combine the Spirit Emperor’s negative emotions with the Bodhi Tree’s consciousness and manifest them physically, perhaps some answers could be obtained.

But how much information could be gained remained uncertain.

Yet Chu Yang had no intention of exploring the Wild Ancient Realm’s secret now; the Bodhi Tree was about to emerge, and this place was a nexus of countless eyes.

If Chu Yang caused too much commotion at this critical moment, trouble was inevitable.

If he accidentally killed all the Qiangzhe here, it would become a spectacle.

Chu Yang did not wish to become the target of all; though Qiangzhe and factions on the continent might rage inwardly, they dared not speak out—but if he sought to gather faith energy, it would become far more difficult.

He casually seized a ferocious beast, extracted its permeating factor from its body, and sent it into his Soul Palace before immediately leaping into a spatial wormhole.

…………

The Ancient Realm Platform.

This was the boundary between the central and deep regions of the Wild Ancient Realm, said to be an ancient battlefield where countless Qiangzhe had perished, leaving behind a constant aura of pressure.

Because of this pressure, even the ancient aberrant species within the Wild Ancient Realm dared not approach lightly. When Chu Yang arrived, a battle was already raging before the Ancient Realm Platform.

The combatants were none other than the younger generation of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, led by Feng Qing’er, and Akatsuki Yan’s team.

Notably, the younger generation of the Gu Clan, led by Akatsuki Xun’er, stood on Akatsuki Yan’s side.

Chu Yang appeared silently on the Ancient Realm Platform, glanced briefly, then withdrew his gaze.

He had no interest in the petty squabbles of Spirit Zunqiangzhe , and he already knew the outcome of this battle.

Chu Yang looked down at the Ancient Realm Platform beneath his feet, his eyes narrowing slightly.

After a moment’s hesitation, he withdrew the Klein Bottle, infused a thread of soul force into it, then activated it with Source Qi.

Instantly, through that thread of soul force, Chu Yang saw countless scenes, flashing through his mind like a slideshow.

Simultaneously, the glow of the Klein Bottle drew the attention of all present.

Akatsuki Yan slapped Feng Qing’er away; she, enraged and heart-stricken, fainted on the spot.

Seeing the strange light upon the Ancient Realm Platform, many eyes flickered with greed.

Those who had seen Chu Yang before turned pale; Akatsuki Xun’er said nothing, immediately leading her people to fly upward and guard Chu Yang’s side, ready to fight to the death against any who dared approach.

Those unaware of Chu Yang’s identity instinctively assumed he was from the Gu Clan and still harbored designs.

After all, though Chu Yang’s name was renowned, few had actually seen him.

Or rather, many desired to see him—but had never had the chance.

At this moment, Qiangzhe from the top-tier and transcendent factions—even the young Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan members who had nearly clashed with Akatsuki Xun’er—voluntarily stepped forward to form a protective circle.

Seeing this, countless onlookers were stunned, speculating wildly about Chu Yang’s identity.

Akatsuki Yan frowned slightly; though he had recently visited the Gu Clan and reunited with Akatsuki Xun’er after a long separation,

before he could even greet her, Akatsuki Xun’er had rushed to guard Chu Yang, leaving Akatsuki Yan with a pang of unease.

Chu Yang organized the scenes flooding his mind, then withdrew his soul force and stowed the Klein Bottle.

Glancing at the crowd surrounding him, Chu Yang shook his head with a faint smile; though he had just immersed his consciousness in the Klein Bottle, even if he offered no resistance, no one here could harm him.

Yet one does not strike a smiling face; since they had shown goodwill, Chu Yang smiled and said: “Itachi’ve gone to great trouble, but there’s no need to be so tense—pretend I’m not here.”

“I said anyone below the Saint Realm may compete for the opportunity—I will not interfere.”

Seeing Chu Yang unharmed, all bowed respectfully and withdrew to the sides.

When they uttered the title “Emperor Chu,” the entire region around the Ancient Realm Platform fell utterly silent.

Countless eyes widened in shock—they had never expected to behold the Emperor Chu under such circumstances.

Some were astonished; though they had long heard of Emperor Chu’s youthful fame, they had never imagined he would be so young.

When the crowd finally regained their composure, they all bowed deeply, chanting Chu Yang’s name in unison.

Seeing this, Chu Yang knew his presence here would inevitably affect these people; helplessly, he departed.

After he left, many discovered their robes were drenched in cold sweat—unbeknownst to them.

Without exception, all these people had previously harbored ill intentions upon seeing the Klein Bottle’s strange glow.

They even felt grateful to Akatsuki Xun’er and the young members of other factions—for had they not guarded Chu Yang, they might have already risked their lives to kill and steal.

Had they done so, they would surely be dead by now!

Who dares strike at Emperor Chu? Even if an ancient Spirit Emperor were to resurrect, they could not save him! After Chu Yang left, Akatsuki Xun’er led the Gu Clan members to Akatsuki Yan’s side.

This was her first meeting with Cai Lin; though both had long heard of each other, the encounter between the “Empress” and the “Favored Concubine” was inevitably awkward.

Yet Akatsuki Xun’er deftly sidestepped the tension.

Coming beside Akatsuki Yan, Akatsuki Xun’er whispered: “Akatsuki Yan brother, no one in the clan opposes us anymore…”

Akatsuki Yan froze; though he had recently visited the Gu Clan and gained partial acceptance, he knew well that many still opposed them.

Yet he never imagined the entire Gu Clan would recognize them so swiftly—he assumed Akatsuki Xun’er had made great concessions, and his eyes filled with pity.

Akatsuki Xun’er saw through his thoughts and covered her mouth with a light laugh: “What are Itachi thinking? I don’t have that kind of power!”

“At least right now, I can’t influence the entire Ancient Clan!”

“But with someone backing Itachi, those old folks in the clan have no choice but to acknowledge Itachi.”

“Can Itachi guess who that person is?”

Seeing the mischief in Akatsuki Xun’er’s eyes, Akatsuki Yan’s heart stirred: “Could it be… Chu Yang?”

Akatsuki Xun’er stuck out her tongue: “Here, Itachi’re the only one bold enough to speak Chu Di’s name outright!”

“But it really is him—he even gifted my clan a Rank Nine Golden Core Pill!”

In truth, both Gu Yuan and Akatsuki Xun’er knew that Chu Yang had given the Rank Nine Golden Core Pill in exchange for a single strand of the Golden Emperor Flame’s primordial core.

A major reason for this was to ensure Akatsuki Yan gained full recognition from the Ancient Clan.

Otherwise, even a single Rank Nine Treasure Pill would have been more than enough to trade for a strand of the Golden Emperor Flame’s primordial core.

“This…” Akatsuki Yan stared blankly, confused and slightly embarrassed.

He had just been jealous, yet never imagined Chu Yang had secretly helped him remove so many obstacles.

“I was surprised too—I thought he had some agenda against Itachi, so I even went to ask him…”

Akatsuki Xun’er shrugged: “But he said he only wanted Itachi to grow stronger, so Itachi could do one thing for him later.”

Akatsuki Yan fell silent. Gaining the Ancient Clan’s recognition early would indeed let him focus entirely on his cultivation and accelerate his growth.

But he simply couldn’t understand what task Chu Yang needed him to accomplish.

Akatsuki Yan suddenly thought of the Burnt Scripture, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Could it be… he wants to gather all the Strange Fires in the world? The thought startled him—he himself, though cultivating the Burnt Scripture, had never once considered gathering every Strange Fire into himself.

After all, that was far too insane—it would make him the target of every alchemist in existence.

But if it were Chu Yang… he wouldn’t need to worry about such things! (End of Chapter)