Chapter 57: The Divine Tome's Devouring, Holding Fast to One's Heart

Chapter 57: The Divine Tome's Devouring, Holding Fast to One's Heart

Three corpses lay scattered across the ground, blood pooling around them, the pungent stench of iron thick in the air.

Chen Feng's expression remained unchanged as he swiftly searched Lin Han's body.

The moment his hand touched Lin Han's corpse, the Divine Talisman Of Creation in his mind trembled faintly, rippling with unrest, as if conveying a message to him.

Desire!

The Divine Talisman Of Creation desired something.

Chen Feng frowned slightly, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

For over a year since the Divine Talisman Of Creation had awakened, it had only passively enhanced his comprehension and wisdom, or actively refined pills to help him absorb them better.

But now, it was expressing desire.

As Chen Feng withdrew his hand from Lin Han's corpse, the ripples from the Divine Talisman Of Creation paused, and the sense of desire dissipated.

"Does this thing actually like corpses?"

The bizarre thought sent a chill down Chen Feng's spine.

But he recalled that back in the Great Xia Kingdom, when he had killed Ye Huai and the others in the Wanmuling and searched their bodies, the Divine Talisman Of Creation had shown no such desire.

Thoughts raced through his mind.

Chen Feng's eyes sharpened as a possibility struck him.

"Innate Divine Traits!"

"Ye Huai and the others were all Mortal Bodies, so the Divine Talisman Of Creation didn’t react. But Lin Han possessed an Innate Divine Trait..."

The only way to confirm was to test it.

Chen Feng placed his hand on Lin Han's corpse again, and once more, the Divine Talisman Of Creation pulsed with desire—a hunger to devour something.

"Devour!" Chen Feng murmured.

Instantly, the Divine Talisman Of Creation in his sea of consciousness rippled violently, unleashing a surge of formidable power that rushed down Chen Feng's arm, covering his palm and penetrating deep into Lin Han's corpse.

In the blink of an eye, the power withdrew.

Chen Feng focused inward and saw a faint blue light appear in his sea of consciousness—soft, continuous, like flowing water—before the Divine Talisman Of Creation swiftly absorbed it.

The next moment, a stream of pure, azure light flowed out from the Divine Talisman Of Creation, spreading rapidly throughout Chen Feng's entire body.

It felt as if he were submerged in a spring—refreshing, soothing, easing both body and mind.

The sensation was like parched earth blessed with sweet rain, so pleasurable that Chen Feng couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Bliss!

Sheer bliss!

The comfort didn’t last long, fading away soon after. As Chen Feng regained his senses, he keenly felt that his body had undergone some kind of transformation.

He stood up, stretching carefully, and realized his muscles, skin, and tendons had become slightly more supple. His Force now carried a softer, more fluid quality, circulating even more smoothly than before.

"Who knew the Divine Talisman Of Creation had such an effect?"

Chen Feng's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Though the changes were subtle, if his guess was correct, he could continuously plunder the Innate Divine Traits of others, accumulating transformations until quantity sparked a qualitative leap.

Without hesitation, Chen Feng immediately rushed to Zhao Guangji's corpse and began devouring his Innate Divine Trait.

Zhao Guangji's Innate Divine Trait was grayish-white, exuding a sharp aura. After being devoured by the Divine Talisman Of Creation, a wisp of it spread throughout Chen Feng's body, particularly focusing on his bones. As a result, his bones seemed to grow even more resilient, and his Force gained an added edge.

Next, he devoured Ye Yunqi's Innate Divine Trait. This time, the sensation was even more pronounced. The changes in his skin, muscles, and tendons were more significant, and even his internal organs were nourished. His Force grew more robust, and his physique became even more formidable.

Strangely, his cultivation level hadn't changed at all—his Huntian Sword Body remained at the fourth layer, with no advancement. Yet, his Force had strengthened, and his physical body had grown more powerful.

"A transformation at the fundamental level..."

Chen Feng's eyes and words burned with fervor. This was an enhancement of his foundation, a change in his very essence—a true metamorphosis. As for whether devouring others' Innate Divine Traits felt uncomfortable, Chen Feng felt nothing of the sort.

"Over two thousand people entered the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm this time, each possessing an Innate Divine Trait..."

A dark, chilling light flickered in Chen Feng's eyes as wild thoughts surged uncontrollably in his mind.

"If I could devour all of their Innate Divine Traits, how far could I evolve?"

Once this thought took root, it spread like wildfire, unstoppable. Chen Feng's eyes grew darker, colder, and his handsome, jade-like face twisted into something almost monstrous.

Then, within his sea of consciousness, the Divine Talisman Of Creation trembled slightly, releasing a ripple of divine resonance. Chen Feng's mind jolted, and he snapped back to awareness, his expression shifting drastically.

He had nearly lost himself.

"Too dangerous..."

Chen Feng inwardly shuddered. He never expected that the opportunities granted by the Divine Talisman Of Creation could also harbor such terrifying risks—yet it was also the Divine Talisman Of Creation that had awakened him. It truly felt like both his success and his downfall lay in its hands.

"I must remain true to myself and never let desire take control."

Chen Feng silently admonished himself.

"Even without devouring Innate Divine Traits, I can still dominate the world with my sword. If I do devour them... then I'll set this rule: only the Innate Divine Traits of my enemies."

"Moreover, this time I nearly lost myself and had to rely on the Divine Talisman Of Creation to regain clarity. From now on, I must resist these delusions with my own willpower."

Steeling his resolve, Chen Feng collected the belongings of Ye Yunqi and the other two into his Huntian Space Ring, then carefully examined their corpses. After having their Innate Divine Traits devoured, they appeared unchanged at a glance. But upon closer inspection, he could faintly sense a shift in their auras—as if the aura of death had thickened slightly.

"Ye Yunqi, back at the Huntian Dao Academy, you and I had our grudges. Today, they are settled. In your next life, learn to keep a low profile."

With that silent thought, Chen Feng turned and left.

Not long after his departure, a ghostly figure flickered into view, swift and elusive, stopping beside the three corpses. After a careful examination, the figure frowned.

"Does this so-called 'Heaven-Defying Mortal Body' of the Huntian Sect also have a habit of desecrating corpses?"

The thought sent a shudder through the figure, a wave of revulsion washing over them.

"However... killing fellow sect members, and three True Disciples at that—if the Huntian Sect were to learn of this, you certainly wouldn’t fare well..."

As if amused by the thought, the man burst into a series of malicious chuckles.

...

Within the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, rare herbs grew everywhere like wild grass, unattended and abundant.

Even spiritual herbs were plentiful.

However, most were of lower grades, such as substandard or low-grade. The higher the grade, the rarer they became.

Even substandard spiritual herbs held considerable value.

Chen Feng took everything he laid eyes on.

The realm only opened once every hundred years, and he wouldn’t be able to enter next time. Naturally, he couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

Gathering more spiritual herbs was never a mistake.

Chen Feng had another goal in mind—strengthening Juejian Peak.

How?

By growing stronger, recruiting more members, and securing more resources.

Half a day passed, and Chen Feng’s Huntian Space Ring now held over a hundred spiritual herbs—all substandard or low-grade.

In the distance, a solitary emerald-green bamboo stood tall, with seven segments and a height of about a meter. Its leaves were sparse, yet each one glowed with vibrant vitality, as if brimming with astonishing life force.

Streaks of radiant light pulsed around the seven-segment bamboo, swirling in a dazzling display, accompanied by a dense fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Far superior to low-grade spiritual herbs... could this be a mid-grade one?"

Chen Feng’s eyes lit up.

Though he knew the classifications of spiritual herbs, recognizing every single one wasn’t something he could master overnight. He hadn’t had the time before.

Even if he didn’t recognize it, that wouldn’t stop him from taking it. He could always identify it later.

Chen Feng swiftly closed the distance.

At the same time, four figures approached from another direction.

"It’s Emerald Bamboo!"

"Seven segments—high-grade!"

The four stared intently at the seven-segment bamboo, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"We’ve struck gold!"

"Hurry and dig it up! Bringing this back will earn us plenty of Contribution Points!"

The four sprinted forward at full speed.

But a white figure flashed past, reaching the bamboo before them. With a few quick movements, Chen Feng uprooted it and stored it in his Black Gilded Ring.

"Sir, we discovered this Emerald Bamboo first. There’s such a thing as first come, first served."

"Indeed. Snatching it right from under our noses is hardly fair."

Their expressions darkened as they swiftly surrounded Chen Feng, their voices laced with threat.

"And what do you propose?" Chen Feng replied calmly.

"Hand over the seven-segment Emerald Bamboo—and leave that Space Ring behind," one of them declared, eyeing Chen Feng’s Huntian Space Ring with greed.

They didn’t possess one themselves.

The Space Bags they used were far simpler and smaller in capacity, their value a thousand times inferior to a Space Ring.

Clearly, they didn’t recognize Chen Feng’s identity.

After all, outside the Hidden Dragon Valley, the crowd was too dense, packed tightly together. Except for a very few exceptionally outstanding individuals, the rest were often overlooked.

"This space ring is called the Huntian Space Ring," Chen Feng said, raising the Black Gilded Ring on his finger with a faintly mocking smile.

"Huntian Space Ring?"

"You’re a disciple of the Huntian Sect?"

"Hah! Perfect. Soon enough, our Heavenly Arms Sect will replace your Huntian Sect among the top ten."

The group was stunned for a moment before their expressions turned gleeful.

"Kill him and take the space ring. Senior Brother Yan and the others will surely be pleased."

The moment the words fell, the four attacked without hesitation, charging from all directions.

Blades and swords flashed, their killing intent sharp and chilling.

"Just four at the Tenth Transformation of the Body Forging Realm..." Chen Feng sneered, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

Even ordinary Eleventh Transformation cultivators were beneath his notice, let alone four at the Tenth Transformation—and ones who had only tempered their strength four or five times at that.

The Flowing Cup Sword left its sheath, slicing through the air like a ring of starlight.

"Stop!"

A furious roar suddenly erupted from nearby.